FY03 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program

Q:  What is the focus of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (FFE)?

A: The McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program (FFE) will be used to support countries that have made commitments to support and further enhance the quality of their education and nutrition sector.  Commodities produced in the United States will be provided to increase the nutritional status and learning potential of children, with particular attention being given to children under the age of five years, pre-school and primary age children, and pregnant and lactating mothers.  There is a heightened emphasis on the girl child within all of these age groups.  

Q: What countries are eligible?

A: USDA will consider proposals for all developing countries that have demonstrated a commitment to improving the quality of its education system.  This should be reflected in a nation’s development framework within the Education for All plans (please refer to the UNESCO Education for All, Dakar Framework at the following website: http://www.unesco.org/education/efa/ed_for_all/framework.shtml). 

In addition to the government’s commitment to education, the FFE program should have the full support of local communities to sustain the school feeding program as well as reduce the cash burden of the host government in the area of school meals.

Organizations should consider the following factors when determining which country/region to target for proposal submission:  1) countries/regions where there is a need in both the education sector as well as a need for food to improve the nutrition status of beneficiaries; 2) countries/regions with a high prevalence of food insecurity, i.e. net food importer; and 3) countries listed as low income or lower-middle income economies (World Bank definition).

USDA will also give preference to projects that seek other donors or demonstrate the ability to a) integrate other education, health, and nutrition interventions, and b) ensure availability of support to meet minimal school inputs (e.g. supplies, infrastructure, teacher development, improved curriculum).

Q: How many proposals should an organization submit?

A: Although USDA will not limit the number of proposals received from any organization, the approval process is expected to be very competitive.  Focused, clearly developed and well-written proposals will fair better.  USDA anticipates that the number of approved agreements will be around 10-15.  Any one organization should not expect approval for more than one, or perhaps two, programs and only one program may be approved for most countries.

Q: What products are available and can fortification or special processing be provided?

A: USDA may procure commodities of U.S. origin for use in the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.  Organizations are strongly encouraged to review the current commodity situation within the United States. This includes understanding commodity shortages and harvest times that could impact the procurement and delivery times of the requested commodity.  Also, organizations should consider the appropriateness of the commodity within the country of programming.

Fortification, enrichment, preservation and packaging of commodities is allowed under the legislation but organizations should be aware that these further processed commodities will take longer to procure.  Organizations should build this additional time into their proposals in order to coordinate commodity deliveries with appropriate school calendars.

Q: Are multi-year agreements possible?

A: Yes, proposals for multi-year agreements will be considered in FY03 and FY04.  Implementation of successive years will be subject to a favorable review of the program’s progress and the availability of funding.  USDA will also consider proposals involving the shipment of commodities in the first year and the use of funds and/or monetization proceeds for up to three years.

Q: What are the criteria for approval?

A: USDA will look at several factors during the evaluation of each proposal.  The following questions provide an idea about the types of questions that USDA will be asking:  Is the organization capable of carrying out the program?  Does the organization have experience in implementing school feeding, health and education assistance programs in the country?  Has the organization identified appropriate qualified staff/consultants with expertise in education, health and nutrition?  Are the commodities appropriate for the country and their intended use?  Do the requested commodities and tonnages for the country reflect an understanding of other food aid in country, especially Title II?  Does the country have a national Education For All framework in place?  Are there linkages established with Title II or other funding resources?  Have additional resources been located to support or compliment the program?  Is there overlap or coordination with Title II programming?  If there is overlap or no coordination, this proposal is not likely to be approved.  Is the program well developed, logical and practical given the logistical, educational, nutritional and economic situation in the country?  Is the method of choosing beneficiaries clear and justifiable?  Is there a well-defined, clear graduation plan articulated in the proposal?  Is the request for administrative funds justified and reasonable?  Administrative requirements vary by program but requests for 30 percent and below will be given higher priority than those with higher administrative expenses.  USDA wants to maximize the use of program funds, but also recognizes the need to provide enough administrative structure to properly run programs.

Q: What type of characteristics lends itself to a successful school-feeding program?

A: During the implementation of the pilot Global Food for Education Initiative, USDA found that the greatest impacts (relative to attendance and enrollment) occurred in areas where food is valued and in great demand.  Additionally, areas of poor nutrition and limited accessibility to food should be targeted so that the program can reduce the incidences of hunger while enhancing the nutritional well being and learning opportunities of children.

Q: The legislation allows for funds to be spent on “improving program effectiveness”, how does FAS envision this component?

A: USDA envisions program effectiveness encompassing two main non-food areas of implementation.  These are (1) program administration, including monitoring, evaluation and consultants for nutrition and education, and (2) health and education materials, including books, student/teacher supplies, training materials, and prophylactic medications (de-worming, vitamin A, iron).  Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) cash can be provided for both of these categories.  CCC would consider the use of monetization proceeds for these expenses only when the need to monetize commodities is fully justified.  Otherwise, a direct grant should be requested to cover these expenses. 

Q: What does USDA support as the best use of food in a Food for Education Program?

A: USDA will give priority consideration to those programs where U.S. food is provided directly to the beneficiaries.  The food provided directly to the beneficiaries can be reprocessed into another form and then provided (e.g. biscuits, drinks).  During the implementation of the GFE Initiative, food was best utilized as (1) breakfast, (2) take-home rations (for use at the households) to students (especially the girl child) for meeting established attendance levels, (3) payment in-kind for teachers, particularly to maintain established attendance levels (in areas where this is a documented problem) and for attending training courses, and (4) as payment to the community for labor or improved infrastructure projects (e.g. latrines, water facilities, kitchens, additional classrooms, etc.).  For maternal and child health programs, USDA would not favor any proposal that may discourage breastfeeding.

Q: How does USDA view the incorporation of Mother and Child Health (MCH) programs under the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program?

A: USDA would give priority consideration to those proposals that integrate an MCH component within an educational environment.  This could be done through several means, but not limited to:  (1) situations where the school can be utilized as a setting for normalcy to the family undergoing a crisis situation (conflicts in the country, natural disasters, etc.), and (2) areas where children entering school are not exhibiting sufficient growth and development to maintain age-to-grade graduation targets. USDA will also look favorably upon those proposals that link MCH programs funded through outside resources to the proposed FFE program.

Q: May I barter commodities; if so, how would an organization conduct a barter exchange?

A: Bartering of commodities is allowed under the Food for Education program.  The sample agreement for the Section 416(b) program (available at the website: http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/FoodAid/416b/416(b)%20Sample1.htm) provides a very good example of a barter exchange.  If additional information is needed, please contact your country analyst for further examples or clarification.

Q: What regulations, circulars, policies and procedures apply to each USDA administered food assistance program?  

A:  The following table illustrates the regulations, circulars, policies and procedures that currently apply to each USDA administered food assistance program. (N/A stands for 'Not Applicable’).  Please note that 7 CFR 3019 and 7 CRF 3015 will be combined into 7 CFR 3020 very shortly.  Once this happens, this table will be revised to reflect this change.   

* Section 416(b) and FFP are conducted under Commodity Credit Corporation regulations while McGovern-Dole is conducted under USDA/FAS regulations.  The administrating authority directly impacts the applicability of regulations. 

** Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is dedicated to Agriculture.  Within Title 7, the 1400 series of the CFR is earmarked for Commodity Credit Corporation program regulations and the 1500 series is for Foreign Agricultural Service program regulations.