Final: WFP has joined other UN agencies to develop a common program in support of girls’ education in Ghana. In 2002, with food provided under the Global Food for Education Initiative, WFP provided 20,546 take-home rations and was able to extend the girl’s school feeding initiative to include an additional district with thirty-seven schools. The expansion included 23 primary schools and 14 junior secondary schools.

Midterm: About 29,600 students per year will benefit from WFP take-home rations during the project. Food aid serves as an incentive that encourages families to enroll their girls in primary and junior secondary education. It also helps to establish regular attendance. Each girl pupil will receive monthly rations of eight kilograms of cereals and two liters of vegetable oil as long as she attends at least 85% of the school days every month.

Final: In 2002, the Government adopted the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy as an overall policy framework in support of development activities. Education was identified as an area in critical need of resources in order to reduce poverty. In addition, the Government adopted a strategy to reduce the gender gap, especially in the northern regions where girls have been less likely to attend school.

Midterm: Ghana is a low-income, food-deficit country. The population, estimated at 18.4 million, is growing at an annual rate of 2.5%, according to the October 2000 Ghana census. The United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) Human Development Report for 2000 ranked Ghana 129th out of the 174 countries assessed. The country's per capita gross national product (GNP) is $390, which is below the average for sub-Saharan Africa and below the $530-per-person average GNP for all low-income countries.

Basic education for children, which in Ghana includes primary education (grades one through six) and junior secondary education (grades seven through nine), continues to face problems of access and quality throughout the country. Between 1987 and 1997, enrollment rates at primary schools dropped from 75.5% to 72.5%. The gender gap in primary enrollment persists, although it improved slightly during the same period. In rural areas of the northern savannah, only 67% of eligible boys and 62% of girls are enrolled in primary school—rates substantially below the national average.

Attendance rates are also low. Primary school attendance rates are roughly 37% for boys and 35% for girls. Furthermore, the net enrollment ratio in junior secondary school is significantly lower for girls compared with boys. This reflects a number of poverty-related socioeconomic factors, including early pregnancies and the increased labor and economic value (i.e., bride-wealth) of adolescent girls. Women in the three northern savannah regions with high illiteracy rates (85%) not only have limited access to land, credit, and agricultural inputs, but also face more socio-cultural constraints than do women in other regions.

Final: The second tranche of USDA- donated commodities arrived in 2002 and 2003.

In addition, 105.5 metric tons of maize was delivered in 2001. This brings the total USDA contribution to 1,118 metric tons or 68% of the total required for the project. A delay in the scheduled first quarter cereals shipment caused WFP to borrow 92 metric tons of maize from its supplementary feeding activity. With an opening balance of 62.25 metric tons from the previous year, the total stock for the program equaled 157.25 metric tons in. The supply lasted for one month and the program provided vegetable oil in February and March.

The 105.5 metric tons of maize arrived during the second quarter. While most of it was used to repay the tons that had previously been borrowed, the program received an additional shipment during the third quarter. The final shipment contained 800 tons of wheat and 213.3 tons of vegetable oil (out of an expected 270 MT).

WFP targeting practices are based on an assessment that identifies chronic vulnerability. Carried out in November 2000 and April 2001, the assessment includes factors such as food security, vulnerability to disasters, poverty, health, girls’ enrollment rates, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. The study confirmed that the incidence of absolute poverty is the highest in the upper west, upper east, and northern regions. It also revealed that the burden of poverty falls disproportionately on food crop farmers, a large proportion of whom are women. Therefore, WFP assistance continues to be concentrated in the northern savannah regions.

Goals and objectives: The immediate objectives of the activity are to achieve:

Other donor support: The Government of Ghana’s contribution to this activity is estimated at more than $1.2 million, including internal transportation, shipping, and handling.

Final: The number of beneficiary schools increased from 328 in 2001 to 528 in 2002. During the same period, girls’ enrollment increased from 18,284 in 2001 to 26,370. Girls’ attendance has also improved under the school feeding program. In 2001, 14,386 girls achieved the required 85% attendance rate to participate in the take-home ration program. The following year, the number jumped to 20,546 girls.

It is becoming increasingly evident that girls are becoming better students, improving their academic performance levels and moving on to higher levels of education after completing Junior Secondary School. In fact, girls are overtaking boys in grade point averages and are more likely to win admission into Senior Secondary Schools.

In addition, the abduction of girls for early marriages is being addressed through community instruction about the importance of girls’ education. In 2002, eighteen abducted girls were rescued and sent back to school.

Midterm: On average, 29,600 pupils per year will benefit from the take-home ration throughout the project. Approximately two-thirds of the beneficiaries are primary school girls, and one-third of the beneficiaries will be girls attending junior secondary schools.

Enrollment increases have averaged 10% during the last three years. The steady increases in enrollment levels for both girls and boys have generated increased parent support. Added emphasis on school infrastructure is needed in future programming and additional donors could be helpful in providing needed kitchen and latrine facilities.