Final: USDA is the largest single food donor to WFP operations in Tanzania, providing about 68% of all donated commodities in support of the nation’s school feeding program. By the end of 2002, the donations had made it possible for WFP to feed 94,163 children in rural Tanzania, a number well in excess of the 75,000 the program had been designed to serve. Partners in the school feeding effort have provided complimentary commodities, helping to make meals more interesting and nutritious, and ensuring the best use of all available sources of support.

After years of declining primary school enrollment and attendance, school feeding efforts were undertaken in the chronically food-insecure pastoral regions of Dodoma, Singida, Arusha and Manyara. By December 2002, gross enrollment numbers had already dramatically exceeded expectations, affirming the program’s ability to attract children to classes. Currently, 49,479 boys and 44,684 girls are enrolled in 215 WFP-assisted programs in the country. Out of these schools, 14 are boarding facilities. These schools serve 3,254 students, 2,138 boys and 1,116 girls. All participating schools also have de-worming interventions.

The program was designed to provide sound nutritional support to children, promote gender equity in enrollment and attendance patterns, and help ease the financial burden that parents and the government face in meeting the needs of children in the country’s poorest regions.

Midterm: The WFP Tanzania project is being implemented under the overall responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture. At the district level, the district education officer represents the Ministry of Education. The day-to-day operations of the activity, however, are delegated to the local communities and school committees.

Assistance is targeted to four chronically food-insecure regions on the mainland: Dodoma, Singida, Arusha and Manyara.

Monitoring data from the ongoing school feeding pilot project has shown that, in schools where cooked meals are being provided, school attendance rates (traditionally falling below 40% in the targeted areas in the lean season) have been consistently maintained at 60%. In addition, enrollment, teacher levels, and classroom sizes have all improved over the last three years since school feeding programs have been operational.

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a per capita gross national product (GNP) estimated at $240 in 1999. The United Nations Development Program’s 2000 Human Development Index ranked Tanzania 156th out of 174 countries. It is classified as a least developed country and as a low-income, food-deficit country. More than 40% of its 31 million people live in chronically food-deficit regions, where irregular rainfall causes repeated food shortages.

Primary school enrollment rates in Tanzania are currently estimated at 5%, a sharp

decline from the 80% that was achieved in the 1980’s. Of those enrolled, 52% are boys and 48% are girls. Rural areas, however, have marked gender imbalances in enrollment rates. In these areas, most of the primary schools are boarding schools, and boys account for 62% of total enrollment, while girls make up the remaining 38%. Part of the gender inequity can be attributed to the limited number of girls’ dormitories, the fact that facilities are not used to their full capacity, and the lack of government funds to feed all boarders. Within this context, parents have little motivation to send their daughters to school, and they are also often too poor to pay the fees that contribute to the costs involved in running these schools.

Monitoring has confirmed that seasonal dropout rates are higher among boys than girls, because boys are deemed more suitable for undertaking casual labor, hunting and farming/pastoral activities during times of economic stress.

In the higher primary school grades, many boys drop out permanently, leaving more girls than boys in these grades. However, even where educational statistics show little gender discrepancies, many girls still suffer from negative practices, including sexual harassment, early pregnancy, early marriage, and circumcision.

Final: USDA donated a total of 3,500 MT of Maize and 250 MT of Vegetable oil to the school feeding effort in 2002. During this period, WFP operated two major emergency projects in Dodoma and Arusha. Commodities were transported from the port of Dar es Salaam to storage facilities in these regions and then on to participating school feeding sites. Food was issued every four months and amounts were based on the actual numbers of students enrolled at each school.

Final: The WFP school feeding effort is fully supportive of the Tanzanian Government’s policies and priorities in the education sector, particularly promoting universal education and equitable educational opportunities to boys and girls from all regions of the country.

Midterm: This activity aims to:

Intended outputs include:

The total Government of Tanzania contribution over 5 years is estimated at $263,000.

Final: Currently, a total of 94,163 school children (49,479 boys and 44,684 girls) are benefiting from school feeding assistance, a dramatic increase over the planned beneficiary figure of 75,000.

Midterm: The following results are expected from WFP assistance:

Food aid will serve as an incentive for enrollment, attendance, and retention at primary day schools, as well as a dietary support at primary day and boarding schools.

Other donors, with their contributions shown as a percentage of the totals contributed included Germany (15%), Denmark (8%), Italy (7%) and Norway (2%). Commodities provided by these donor nations were used to complement USDA provisions and form a complete food basket.

De-worming and School Health Intervention: WFP initiated de-worming activities in coordination with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education & Culture, and the World Health Organization. The intervention aims to reduce the prevalence and intensity of common soil–transmitted helminthes and schistosomes (intestinal parasites) among Tanzania’s schoolchildren. Treatment is administered mainly through the used of anthelminthic drugs, health education activities, and the promotion of regular hygiene and sanitation practices. The program was initiated in 2001 and is ongoing.

Complementary Support to Schools: During 2002, WFP Tanzania secured the equivalent of US $5,550,000 from the Japanese Government through the UN Human Security Trust Fund. The award is intended to support the following activities in support of the ongoing school feeding project: