Final: The success of the GFE-supported initiative has demonstrated how food can be a powerful agent for change. WFP school feeding activities in Honduras have made substantial progress in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch and a regional drought. Today, over 600,000 students in rural pre-schools and primary schools in Honduras participate in the school-feeding program and WFP expects to reach at least 750,000 children in 2004. These are dramatic increases from the 185,230 students reached in 2001, and the 390,918 fed in 2002.

Midterm: Since the devastating impact of Hurricane Mitch, Honduras has been working to improve its infrastructure, including its educational system. Most schools have latrines and over half of the schools assisted by WFP have kitchens. Parents in Honduras are involved in their children’s education and take prominent roles in food preparation activities. Enrollment has increased slowly, at an average of 5% per year, and the dropout rate is declining gradually.

Lack of education and infant malnutrition are endemic in rural parts of Honduras. The national average level of education completed is 4.6 years, and 3.5 years in rural areas. Enrollment rates for children range from 75% in rural areas to 84% in urban ones. An estimated 130,000 children do not attend school at all. The high dropout rate (4%) is partly related to low food intake, which hampers learning. An estimated 69% of the adult population is literate, with little difference between male and female literacy rates. School attendance rates for females equal or exceed those for males at all grade levels.

Seven nationwide nutrition surveys, which were conducted between 1986 and 1997, measured the height for age of almost all children attending first grade. The findings showed that children were suffering from continued vulnerability to food insecurity. The 1997 PRAF Census evaluated 234,111 children or 94.2% of all the children attending first grade. Out of these children, 63% resided in rural areas. PRAAF surveys revealed rural stunting rates of 40.8% and 28.5%, respectively. This problem is aggravated by the high incidence of infectious diseases among school children, in particular acute diarrhea, intestinal parasites and respiratory illnesses, caused by a lack of clean water or proper sanitation.

Final: WFP has three main warehouses strategically located in different parts of the country for efficient distribution and storage. There are also 230 secondary distribution points that allow storage closer to participating schools. Commodity distribution practices are overseen by 16 WFP sub-offices and 17 field monitors.

Midterm: Food aid serves as an incentive for families to send their children to school and ensures that short-term hunger does not impede learning. Take-home rations are also distributed among girls to increase female literacy.

The school feeding activity uses cereals, pulses, vegetable oil, corn-soy blends and sugar to prepare the student meals. USDA contributed the following commodities and quantities for Honduran schools.

Goals and objectives: This WFP project seeks to:

School gardens, whenever possible, add to lessons on the importance of a balanced diet for better nutrition. Partner organizations are undertaking latrine construction and the provision of kitchens and potable water. Teachers and parents receive training in health practices and food handling and preparation. Non-food items such as kitchen utensils, cups and plates, de-worming tablets, and training materials are purchased locally.

Final:. Each student meal in Honduras costs 9 cents (USD). Parents help prepare the meal using rice, corn, beans, cooking oil and a corn-soya blend. The meal provides children with 33% of their daily-required kilocalories and 47% of their protein needs. As literacy is one of the driving forces for development, WFP promotes functional literacy activities, especially for women in rural areas.

Midterm: The beneficiary population is 125,000 boys and girls each year over a five-year period. These children are provided meals in school for 160 days. In addition, 10,000 women yearly receive food-for-learning rations as incentives to attend literacy classes for 80 days. Students benefit from improved access to food and education and from improved health and sanitary conditions. Women have increased opportunities for participation and decision-making at home and in their communities.

The activity’s implementation strategy involves careful targeting, with the involvement of municipal councils, of the poorest schools in the selected municipalities.

Final: During the last year, WFP expanded its fundraising efforts to increase program coverage, diversify donors, and elevate program visibility. Current fundraising activities include a tele-radio marathon, government lotteries, contributions from banks, partnerships within the tourism industry, and postal stamp initiative. In addition, WFP worked with the Honduran Congress to enact legislation that decreed a National School Feeding Day. Fundraising activities are now active in all sectors and WFP has raised $8.1 million dollars in 2003 for the school feeding activity.

Midterm: The government’s estimated contribution to this program amounts to about $1.34 million during last year, mainly in staff; internal transportation, storage, and handling costs; and the local purchase of non-food items. The Government of Honduras covers all transportation, storage, and handling costs of the WFP-donated commodities up to the municipal warehouses. Government funds will also be used for the local purchase of complementary food commodities to provide a more balanced diet.

Final:

Sustainability: WFP works to establish sustainable operations that can operate without external assistance. Since 2001, WFP has focused on securing other funding sources and to develop a sold base for financial support. The following chart demonstrates growing support from the Government and the private sector:

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