WFP’s School Meals Programme plans to feed 155,000 children in 2013
- In Gaza and the West Bank food is often available, yet is priced out of reach for many poor households. An average family of six living under the poverty line spends approximately half of its income on food, and many families can not provide adequate nutrition for their children.
- Children in participating schools receive a locally produced fortified date bar (and milk in the West Bank) during the morning, providing them with the energy and nutrition they need to concentrate on their lessons.
- In addition to providing a nutritional foundation for enhanced educational success, the WFP programme aims to help level the playing field amongst children from different economic backgrounds, and promote a healthy and safe school environment for children affected by the protracted conflict.
- Health and nutrition sessions are also provided for children, parents and teachers in an effort to build awareness of the basic principles of good health, food hygiene and budgeting for nutritious food purchases.
WFP Palestine
WFP’s overall strategy is to engage in partnerships to support Palestinians in three key areas:
Relief: emergency assistance to the most vulnerable households.
Resilience: using food assistance to build economic resilience by linking safety nets to local products and engaging in community works projects that promote greening Palestine and agricultural development goals.
Preparedness: support to the Palestinian Authority Civil Defense to plan for and respond to emergencies.
Challenges to Food Security Food insecurity in Palestine is driven primarily by poverty linked to the ongoing occupation.
Restrictions on freedom of movement, access to natural resources, the right to pursue gainful employment as well as on international trade and investment have left 27 percent of households, or 1.3 million Palestinians, unable to meet their basic food and household expenses.
Programme Details
In Gaza, WFP aims to feed 80,000 children in the 2012-2013 school year.
In the West Bank, WFP will reach 75,000 children in 2012-2013.
Programme Impact
Partnership: WFP aims to increase the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to run its own School Meals Programme as part of a sustainable, productive safety net that draws on locally produced food.
Short-Term Hunger and urgent nutritional needs will be addressed for 155,000 children in 442 schools.
Safe Schools: School meals provide students with energy to concentrate on lessons, a sense of basic equality with their peers, and the belief that schools are a safe and nurturing place in the midst of ongoing tensions and conflict.
Health Awareness: Sessions for students as well as their families, schools and communities will increase the awareness of the positive effects of good nutrition and a diverse diet.
Investing in Palestine
WFP’s School Meals Programme supports and invests in the local economy.
For the 2011-2012 school year, WFP purchased 1,700 metric tons of locally produced date bars and milk, injecting approximately US$1.7 million into the local economy.
For 2012-2013, WFP will purchase 1,500 additional metric tons of local milk and date bars.
|
School Meals Worldwide WFP has 45 years of experience of implementing School Meals Programmes in a variety of contexts around the world. Building on lessons learned, WFP is in a strong position to provide technical support to assist governments to strengthen national capacities to develop and sustain high quality School Meals Programmes. WFP provides more than 26 million school children in about 60 countries with school meals and take-home rations. Child enrollment and concentration increases in schools with WFP School Meals Programmes. As a part of its hand over strategy WFP is building the capacity of governments around the world to create and run their own School Meals Programmes. Over the years, WFP has handed over 37 school meals programmes to governments. The last country to assume full ownership of a WFP school meals programme was Cape Verde in 2011. |
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/WFP_schoolmeals.pdf https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/WFP_schoolmealsa.pdf
Document Type: Factsheet
Document Sources: World Food Programme (WFP)
Subject: Assistance, Children, Education and culture, Food, Health
Publication Date: 22/05/2013