Final: The school-feeding program in Bolivia feeds 102,978 pre-school and primary students a year. Primary schools serve breakfast and lunch 200 days a year to children 7 to 14 years of age. On average, the daily food ration provides 56% of recommended daily caloric requirements and 68% of needed protein. Participating municipalities and parents cover the local operating costs while parents, organized into school boards, manage the rations and meal preparation activities.

In Bolivia’s pre-schools, WFP works with the National Nutrition Program for Girls and Boys Under Six (PAN). The program receives funding from the Government of Italy, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and various other government agencies and local municipalities. More than 60,000 children from six months to six years of age receive breakfast, lunch and in some cases, a snack.

Eighty percent of the children in pre-school centers have demonstrated improvement in the skills that will be needed as they enter the formal education system. These students have a head start and tend to become better primary school students.

Midterm: WFP projects in Bolivia focus on the most depressed areas. In an effort to boost the local economy and production, the Government of Bolivia expressed a preference for local food purchases. As a result, WFP exchanges the donated U.S. wheat for local products. The daily food ration provided by WFP for each student provides roughly 800 calories and 26 grams of protein. Local non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and local governments implement this program and it is co-funded by the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Seven out of ten Bolivians live in poverty, and 30% of those (around 2.2 million) live in extreme poverty. Poverty is most severe in the rural areas, where 57% of the population faces extreme poverty and is without access to a minimum diet.

An estimated 37% of the population is also illiterate. Four years of education is the national average. In rural areas it is even lower with most people completing less than three years of schooling. Of the total illiterate population, 70% live in rural areas and 68% are women. Only 1.4% of male students and 0.7% of female students finish secondary school. Repetition rates are high, with students who continue their education typically taking 12.8 years to complete six years of educational instruction. The World Bank estimates the cost of repetition at the primary level to be some US$30 million per year.

Final: During 2002, USDA donated 3,095 metric tons of wheat for primary school operations and 5,395 metric tons of wheat to the pre-schools. WFP exchanges the wheat for locally produced and fortified foods that reflect local dietary customs. WFP works closely with governments and communities to stimulate the local economy and select meals that are consistent with local tradition. Locally-procured commodities include wheat flour fortified with iron and B vitamins, rice, vegetable oil fortified with vitamin A, Api (an Andean cereal beverage mix), quinucoa (mix of quinoa and cocoa), lentils and iodized salt. The meals are fortified with essential vitamins and minerals to prevent micronutrient deficiencies.

School feeding programs are operated in poorly developed areas with limited roads or transportation systems. Consequently, communities often rely on llamas to transport commodity shipments to participating schools.

Midterm: To support this project, USDA donated 7,880 metric tons of wheat, which arrived in July of 2001. The principal purpose of the donation was to provide a strategically timed nutritional supplement that gave students an "energy boost" during class. In an effort to assist the local economy and stimulate production, the Government of Bolivia expressed a preference for local food purchases. Therefore, WFP exchanged the donated wheat for local products, mainly vegetable oil, milk beverages, rice, and iodized salt.

Final: At the pre-school level, the principal goal is to improve the general nutritional status of participating children and narrow the gap between services in urban versus rural centers. WFP focused on the poorest, most food-insecure children and provided more appropriate training sessions and materials for facilitators and educators in rural centers.

Training activities included functional literacy courses, food preparation and proper food storage techniques. Each of the activity’s components included early learning, health and nutrition, advocacy about program benefits, and increased sustainability through greater participation of prefectures, municipalities and parents.

The program has increased its targets to include 520 rural elementary schools with the provision of nutritional supplements that reach approximately 42,000 students.

Midterm: The objectives of the project were

Final: The program operates in 130 municipalities located throughout Potosí, Chuquisaca, Oruro, La Paz, Tarija and Cochabamba. Sites are selected through a mapping system that identifies areas of extreme poverty, illiteracy and food insecurity. WFP then works with local private voluntary organizations (Project Concern International and Adventist Development and Relief Organization), which are also involved in school feeding activities, to jointly select schools that qualify for the program.

In primary schools, children receive breakfast and lunch 200 days a year. The meals provide more than 68% of the protein needed each day and 56% of the calories recommended for the age group. In the pre-school feeding program, the Bolivian Government and the Government of Italy provide additional commodities to complement the basic ration, providing another 150 calories and 5 additional grams of protein. In addition, parents provide fresh fruit and vegetables to add variety and increase the meal’s nutritional value. Pre-school operations provide between 50 and 70% of the student’s required nutritional needs depending on the type of center they assist.

WFP project activities pre-school are implemented in two types of centers. The first type of education center accepts up to 30 children with two educators and one cook. They operate four hours a day and are open 22 days a month 9 months out of the year. In these centers, the breakfast and lunch provision equal 50% of the children’s basic nutritional requirements. The other type of center WFP partners with accepts up to 30 children for eight hours a day. They are open for 22 days a month 11 months out of the year. Here, breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are served and the meals provide 70% of the children’s basic nutritional requirements. Food aid is also given to educators and cooks working in the centers.

Participating schools are encouraged to have energy-saving stoves, secure food storage areas, sanitation facilities, clean running water, de-worming activities, gardens and small husbandry operations. Many of these components become community projects with support and collaboration from NGOs and other donors.

WFP has worked with a variety of partners to incorporate de-worming treatments into school feeding programs. Health authorities administer medical treatment twice a year, with financial and technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO). The orally administered tablets are financed through WFP’s micronutrients program.

Midterm: The daily food ration provided by WFP for each student includes about 100 grams of wheat flour, 35 grams of dried milk beverage (milk, cocoa, sugar, and vitamins), 15 grams of vegetable oil, 30 grams of rice, 20 grams of meat, and five grams of iodized salt. The food ration is served 200 days a year and provides roughly 800 calories and 26 grams of protein.

The food provided by WFP is used in combination with food supplied by parents, providing both breakfast and lunch at school. This further contributes to an increased nutritional and educational level of the school-age population. Food assistance has also contributed greatly to the organization, motivation and participation of parent associations. The parents and communities have become directly involved in alleviating their children’s short-term hunger. In summary, food aid has become an incentive for increased school attendance and a catalyst for parental participation.

Final: In addition to the local food purchases made possible with USDA donations, Japan and Norway periodically provide canned fish to complement the basic ration. This contribution helps ensure the student diet has a regular presence of animal protein.

Under the primary school feeding component, participating municipalities contribute some US$ 230,000 a year to cover local operating costs. This contribution illustrates the Government’s commitment to education and the eventual establishment of a national school feeding program.

In 2003, WFP and UNICEF will implement the "Friendly School" model in three municipalities. Through this collaboration, UNICEF will construct sanitary facilities, water systems and provide training in nutrition, children rights and educational issues.

With FAO, UNESCO, UNICEF and CARE, WFP is seeking resources to undertake a project that will involve the construction of school gardens to provide fresh vegetables that will complement school meals and enable children to learn basic agriculture and environmental skills.

In the pre-school component, the IADB contributes US$ 4 million a year for recurrent costs such as building materials and equipment for new pre-school centers.

The Government of Italy makes a yearly contribution of US$ 135,000 in commodities such as quinoa, wheat, pasta, and occasionally, locally produced maize-soya flakes.

The National Programme for the Integrated Development of Boys and Girls Under Six (PAN) has more than 60 partnerships. To avoid duplication and to collaborate with other NGOs to maximize the benefits of aid operations within the country the WFP reviewed all existing donor activities and work of other major food aid organizations before establishing projects. To date Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), joint implementation and further negotiations are under way with the bodies listed below.

Midterm: WHO, in cooperation with regional health authorities, provide de-worming treatment and health and sanitation education in all WFP-assisted schools. The World Bank and the IADB together contribute over $13 million per year in support of the Government of Bolivia’s educational efforts. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Children’s Fund, and United Nations Population Fund provide material support and participate in training activities for teachers, parents, and schools. Such indirect contributions to school feeding activities have been instrumental in maximizing the benefits of the program and dramatically improving students’ educational environment.

Final: The primary school feeding component is an integral part of the Bolivian Strategy for Education from 2003 until 2015. The current Government considers school feeding an important part of its plan to achieve education for all by 2015.

Teachers reported that before school feeding, the majority of students regularly arrived an hour late. Upon providing meals, children came to school earlier and more frequently. Teachers observed that students are more alert during class and that their participation and academic performance have improved. In addition, they report increased interest and higher energy levels during extra-curricular activities and sports.

Some of the program’s success can be seen by the increasing numbers of young children and siblings that are showing up at participating primary schools. While these children have not yet reached the required primary school enrollment age, the possibility of receiving a nutritious breakfast and lunch have brought them to the schoolhouse steps.

Parent training and management skills are offered so they can participate in the school board service. These classes are held in central locations and often require parents from rural areas to travel in order to participate. All of the sessions, however, have been well attended. The community’s desire to participate indicates the increasing support for the program and a new interest in available education opportunities.

Important benefits have also been noted in pre-school centers that participate in school feeding activities. Studies conducted by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with NGOs established that children who attend pre-school centers have more advanced cognitive and psychomotor skills than children from the same areas who do not attend pre-school. Eighty percent of the children in pre-school centers have demonstrated improvement in the skills that will be needed as they enter the formal education system. These students have a head start and tend to become better primary school students.

In addition to being more prepared for primary school, pre-school students also have better access to other public services. Monitoring results show that 73% of the children in pre-school centers have their vaccinations while 75% have obtained a birth certificate and been entered into the public Basic Health System.

Students are not the only ones who benefit from pre-school programs. WFP is finding that mothers often take advantage of the opportunity to improve their working conditions once they begin sending their young children to pre-school centers. One mother, in a town called Villapata in the Highlands of Oruro, said her economic situation has improved since her son started pre-school.

"Sending my two-year-old son to the PAN [pre-school] center means that I do not have to carry him around all day when herding my sheep and I can take the flock to better grazing," she explained. "During the day in the field, I can also make other things such as handcrafts, because I do not have to attend to my son."

Another mother from Potosí has been able to further her education. "Having two children in the PAN center has allowed me to take up my studies again," she said with excitement. "One day, I hope to have an education and to give my children the opportunities I never had."

Midterm: The project contributes to the education of 102,978 pre-school and primary school children in six of the poorest provinces of the Department of Potosi. The goals are to alleviate short-term hunger, promote regular school attendance, and increase parental participation in the overall management of the education system as a basis for sustainability and phasing out assistance. Food aid has been a successful cohesive factor in organizing and promoting parent-teacher associations in support of school activities.

The project is an integral part of the new education reform package that is strongly supported by the World Bank and bilateral donors. It will be implemented through 480 rural schools, where parent associations will be responsible for administering the school feeding component. This is in line with both the Education Reform Law and the Popular Participation Law, which transfers the responsibility for education and health activities to municipalities and, at the community level, to grass-roots organizations

The WFP Bolivia school feeding program has brought more children into the classroom. Teachers have reported increasing enrollment figures every year for the last three years. The number of certified teachers has not kept pace with the enrollment increases, so more teachers are needed. Enhanced data collection on school attendance, grade progression, and retention is also needed for future evaluation efforts.

"Eating in schools allows us to learn more." Luz Eliana Jiménez Espejo clearly remembers the first time she received a WFP ration in primary school. She was attending the fifth grade when the teacher announced that children should start bringing a cup and a plate in addition to their normal school supplies so they could receive breakfast and a snack.

"It was of great help", remembers Luz Eliana, "because all of the families, including mine, were very poor. The two meals we received at the schools were most of the food we ate the whole day".

Luz Eliana´s father worked in the mines close to Atocha and at times did not earn enough to feed his family. WFP food aid represented a survival alternative, especially during the long periods the state-owned mines were closed and her father could not find other work.

"I will never forget the help that WFP brought to us, because it not only helped me to study but it helped the whole family," she said. After the school feeding program started, neither Luz Eliana nor her siblings wanted to miss school, even when they were sick. "Missing school meant losing the chance to eat," she said.

Last modified: Monday, April 14, 2008 06:13:23 PM