Final: Project Concern International’s (PCI) GFE feeding program was extended through November 2003, and 20,000 students continued to benefit. The increase in average enrollment was documented at 11.25%. Water systems (46) and latrines (90) were built in several schools, and water filters were distributed to 106 schools without access to potable water. Many schools were rehabilitated with funds from the municipal and national government as a result of PCI engaging government offices for support. PCI also purchased anti-parasite medication for the Ministry of Health to dispense to all schoolchildren in the program. There are 225 Parents Associations currently functioning in Jinotega as a result of the PCI GFE program.

Midterm: PCI Nicaragua began its feeding program in November 2001. When school reopened in February 2002, feeding began for approximately 20,000 students. PCI reported an increase of approximately 14% in children fed compared with November 2001. Teachers reported a stronger parent-school-community bond because of their work on the feeding. For this project, the Global Food for Education (GFE) program has helped stimulate local development through contracts to manufacture nutritious cookies and fortified jícaro drink mix, which are served daily. The program is scheduled to continue through November 2002, with an extension through November 2003 pending approval.

Of all the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, only Haiti is poorer than Nicaragua. A decade of civil strife and political and economic turbulence exacerbated Nicaragua's chronic poverty. According to the 1995 National Census, in 10 of the seventeen provinces in Nicaragua, more than half the population lives in poverty. In Jinotega, the province targeted for PCI’s GFE project, 93% of the population lives in poverty, including 74% living in extreme poverty. While slightly more than 10% of the national population is malnourished, in Jinotega 37% of the children age 5 and under are chronically malnourished.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Report, a person needs around 11-12 years of schooling in order to be avoid a life of poverty in Latin America, on average. According to the Nicaraguan National Survey on Level of Life, Nicaraguan women average 5.0 years of schooling and men average 4.8 years. In rural areas, poor and extremely poor people average only 3.1 and 2.3 years of education, respectively. This is well below the assumed threshold of 4 years needed to acquire functional literacy and basic mathematical skills.

In terms of primary school enrollment, gender differences are not very large, but urban/rural differences are: 72% of urban children are enrolled in some type of schooling, while only 48% of rural children are enrolled. Attendance differences are also striking. While 15.9% of students are absent in urban areas, the figure climbs to 36.7% in rural areas. Nationally, of every 100 children who enroll in first grade, 52% make it to grade four, and 29% finish the six years of primary school.

Destruction from Hurricane Mitch, several years of drought, and the world coffee crisis have exacerbated the economic situation for vulnerable groups. World Food Program (WFP) regional experts have reported that the situation in Nicaragua is similar to, though less severe than, the situation in Guatemala, where they declared an emergency in March 2002 and established 41 emergency feeding centers. However, any combination of factors from more drought to excessive rain could upset the precarious balance in the poor family's survival strategy. There are parts of Jinotega in which GFE is working that have not had rain for several years. There are other areas where people were completely dependent on the coffee industry for their cash income. For those landless rural poor, the lack of any cash leaves them in desperate circumstances.

Within this social and economic context, PCI proposed to target four municipalities in the department of Jinotega in which the problems of malnutrition, illiteracy, and poverty are among the most severe in the country.

Final: To fund the extension, PCI received 2000 MT of crude degummed vegetable oil in October 2002. The oil was monetized in sales that took place over six months.

Midterm: PCI requested commodities in the following amounts: soybean meal, 70 metric tons; wheat, 190 tons; soybean oil (bulk), 1,900 tons; and corn, 230 tons. Because of problems described below, PCI actually received: corn-soy blend, 69.749 tons; corn, 30.102 tons; wheat, 85.970 tons; and refined vegetable oil, 3,349.404 tons.

The corn, wheat, soybeans, and some of the soybean oil were to be used in direct distribution through feeding and take-home rations. The majority of the bulk soybean oil was to be monetized, with the proceeds used to implement the project's multiple components designed to increase enrollment, attendance, and performance, and to enhance the learning environment. Delivery of all the commodities was requested for April/May 2001.

The shipment of commodities for distribution arrived on July 31, 2001, with nearly half of the bagged commodities arriving with water damage from a hatch door left open. They were declared unfit for human consumption by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and destroyed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed to replace the commodities, and a new shipment of corn-soy blend (to replace soybean meal), corn, and wheat were shipped to Nicaragua, arriving in October and November 2001. The vegetable oil to be monetized arrived July 8, 2001, without problems, and the monetization proceeded normally. The need to replace the distribution commodities had a significant impact because it meant that PCI could not begin feeding until November 2002, the last month of the school year.

Goals and objectives: In order to meet the overall goals of the GFE project, PCI proposed to carry out the following objectives:

Final:

Parent Associations: There are 225 Parents Associations currently functioning in Jinotega due to this project. Over 630 parents (353 Females and 279 Males) participated in project activities during this reporting period. These parents participated in meetings and trainings that discussed the importance of parent participation, rights of the child, and proper storage of school breakfast commodities.

Water filters: Water filters were distributed to 106 schools that did not have access to potable water. The filtered water was used to create the nutritious drink PCI provides through its breakfast program.

Anti parasite medication: PCI purchased anti-parasite medication, which was distributed by the Ministry of Health April through September 2003. This medication will decrease the number of children that suffer from diarrhea.

Latrines and Water Systems: PCI, with the support of parents and community members, has constructed 90 latrines and installed 26 water systems for schools participating in the school-feeding program. PCI is currently constructing an additional 20 water systems to be finished by the next reporting cycle. Several schools are currently being rehabilitated and a new school is being constructed by PCI with complementary financial support from the local Municipal office and Ministry of Education funds.

Midterm: PCI has worked in Jinotega department for almost ten years and is well known and widely respected. It has a well-established network of community members who have received training in other PCI programs, as well as close connections with local and ministry officials with whom PCI has worked on other projects, particularly in the area of health. PCI conducted an extensive food-for-work project in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch and at the start of the coffee crisis, which also connected the organization to people within the area.

As soon as the agreement with USDA was signed, PCI began a process of hiring a GFE director and local coordinators to do community promotion of the GFE project. There are four coordinators who cover an extensive area with dispersed communities and schools. They are responsible for working with the parent committees to strengthen the ability of these committees to manage the GFE project, maintain transparent and up-to-date financial records, and identify infrastructure needs for the upcoming food-for-work program to repair schools and improve the learning environment. PCI has trained teachers and parents from each school in the management of the commodities, proper storage and preparation, and recordkeeping. Because the training was given in anticipation of an earlier startup, some of the teachers may need a refresher course this year.

PCI and WFP reached an agreement that in schools where PCI was doing the GFE school breakfast program, WFP would pull out and use its resources in other areas. Schools that still have WFP food on hand will continue to serve a snack or a lunch until their stocks run out. PCI also met with local officials and worked to establish solid relationships with the Ministry of Education delegates at the municipal level and with school directors as well as teachers, particularly those in one- and two-teacher schools. This attention to relationships and the consultation process has meant that there have been virtually no complaints from teachers about the project and the added responsibility they have for recordkeeping.

Project Concern International had a delayed startup in the feeding because of the shipping problem described earlier. However, the delay also had some positive results. For example, the delay gave PCI time to develop a jícaro mix that included all of the ingredients (corn-soy blend; corn; jícaro seeds, a local grain high in protein; sugar; cinnamon; and calcium carbonate) to make a thin porridge-like product that is served cold. It also allowed PCI to hold an extensive bidding process in the development of a good-tasting nutritious biscuit to be served as part of the breakfast. A similar competition was held for the jícaro mix contract. After taste and price competitions, a small, local bakery was chosen to make the biscuits, wrap them in individual packages of two per child, and deliver them in cartons to PCI. The cookie wrappers, like the bags of jícaro mix, have both the USDA and PCI logos printed on them. A woman-owned small business won the jícaro mix contract.

Another unexpected advantage was that PCI was able to do one month’s feeding of 17,200 children (all those attending in November 2001) and get feedback on operational issues and logistics that could be addressed during the school vacation period before the full school year GFE project began.

During the school vacation period, PCI began trial school gardens and had good experiences with six of the eight started. GFE funds were used to purchase garden tools, seeds, and materials. The children became quite involved and active in the garden. Some schools even produced enough to sell at the market to purchase additional food to complement their school feeding program. This experience is being replicated this year during the May-October growing season in 17 schools.

When the commodities finally arrived, the schools had only one month before closing for vacation. Nonetheless, the one-month experience showed that children who had dropped out during the year came back, some as much as two months after last being in school. The children liked the cookies and the jícaro drink and ate with gusto. This one-month "trial period" may have contributed to the increase in enrollment being seen this year.

Actual school feeding and other project activities began again in February 2002 when school reopened. PCI currently provides a nutritious breakfast to approximately 20,000 school children in the municipalities of Yalí, Pantasma, La Concordia, and San Rafael del Norte. This is an increase of approximately 14% above last November’s one-month end-of-year numbers. In most schools, the teachers and their students prepare the jícaro drink and serve it along with a package of the nutritious cookies. It is usually the teacher who keeps track of the number of students fed, amount of food consumed, and the other reporting information required by GFE.

Final: Several schools are currently being rehabilitated and a new school is being constructed by PCI with complementary financial support from the local Municipal offices and Ministry of Education funds.

Midterm: The Government of Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) conducts de-worming programs. PCI and delegates of the local Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport are coordinating with MINSA to help facilitate this program.

FISE (Emergency Social Investment Fund) has carried out an extensive campaign of repair and painting of schools in Jinotega using European Union funding, although some of the one-room schools in remote areas have not yet been reached. MiFamilia, the Ministry for Family and Children, has a feeding and educational program for mothers and children less than 6 years of age that complements GFE. Municipal governments provide transportation of the commodities to the school in many cases.

Some of the GFE schools are also U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) BASE II Project model schools. BASE II supports the improvement of primary school education through a focus on teacher effectiveness, increased community participation in schools, and a strengthened Ministry of Education in support of decentralized education.

This is a serious issue to be analyzed once the project becomes fully implemented. There are a number of aspects of this program that are sustainable beyond the GFE project, including teacher training, community empowerment, school gardens, infrastructure development, community support for education, and better educated children. However, the cost of the food and its distribution is one issue that must be addressed in any school-feeding program.

PCI is working at the community level with parents and teachers to look for future alternatives for project sustainability. PCI is also exploring the interest and commitment of various governmental agencies to work toward a national school breakfast/feeding program.

Final: See evaluation methodology in Appendix 1.

Midterm: Both USDA and PCI are carrying out monitoring and evaluation activities. The non-governmental organization NicaSalud in Nicaragua provides the local monitoring for USDA. The principal monitor is an economist skilled in community-based evaluations. He has completed the initial data gathering and will begin the process of qualitative data collection, leading focus groups of parents, teachers, and students in the next few months.

PCI and USDA have coordinated their monitoring and evaluation efforts to the extent possible to avoid redundancies while ensuring independence of action. In setting up the monitoring and evaluation system, the personnel from both organizations conducted a wide-ranging discussion of the factors that could impact a GFE project's success. The consensus was that the most important factors are the municipalities for various political, economic and social reasons, and the distance the children have to walk to get to school. Staff agreed that distance walked could be strongly related to other important factors. Where children walk more than 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) to school, it is also more likely that those schools would be in less accessible, more remote locations; have poorer infrastructure; have fewer teachers who are less likely to live in the community; and offer less parental support for education and pride in the school. All of these factors would contribute to success or failure of any educational effort. They would also impact the administration and supervision of the project by PCI.

A matrix was developed, and the PCI schools were distributed on the matrix. Schools were chosen from each cell on a random basis to arrive at the 20 sample schools. All twenty-sample schools have been visited, as well as some non-sample GFE schools. Preliminary baseline data is available, although most of the comparative figures on attendance will be collected later in the year.

Final: The average change in enrollment was reported at 11.25%.

Midterm: Teachers in almost every sample and non-sample school visited to date reported higher enrollment (one reported a 30% increase) and the return of past dropouts. However, not been enough data collected for a comprehensive analysis. Early indications are that as children find out about the project, they enroll even if the official enrollment period is over. Their presence is then reflected only in the attendance figures. PCI reports that it is feeding 14% more children than in November 2001, when the GFE project began.

Final: Teachers in several of the sample schools have reported attendance has improved greatly, regularly approaching 100%.

Midterm: According to reports from teachers and school administrators, absenteeism has dropped to almost nothing. Furthermore, teachers report that punctuality has improved because children do not want to miss breakfast. Both teachers and parents said that the children now stay home from school only when they are truly sick. Enough data has not yet been collected for a full analysis.

In almost every school, there are the "associates." These "associates" are younger siblings of the enrolled children; parents (primarily mothers) who make the school meal; and the teachers at the school. Almost all of them eat GFE meals/snacks when there is enough left over. There is no appropriate, sanitary, safe storage available for these leftovers. The number of "associates" may be as high as 5-10% above the student attendance for the day. There is no place to report on these additional beneficiaries, making cost/meal appear higher than it actually is. Most importantly, there is no way to capture the benefit to pregnant and nursing mothers, infants, and children 0-6 years old who represent the bulk of the "associates."

Performance: Teachers report that students are more attentive in class, play with more enthusiasm and energy at recess, and learn more quickly. Teachers comment that lessons are learned more quickly since the school feeding began.

Special emphasis on girls: In Nicaragua, the data has not yet been collected and analyzed to be able to say with any certainty how access for girls has been affected. However, girls have higher enrollment rates than boys, who are removed to work on the family farm or to take other employment to supplement family income. GFE may be an incentive for parents to send their boys to school, and that issue will be tracked.

Other project achievements: One of the results of the initial implementation of GFE was that teachers reported a stronger parent-school-community bond. Because they work cooperatively and collaboratively on the feeding, they must work together. This represents a major breakthrough from the perspective of the teachers and school directors.

GFE has helped stimulate local development through the contracts created to manufacture the nutritious cookies and jícaro mix that are served daily to 20,000 children. The bakery hired 17 people who are involved exclusively in the production of the cookie. The small factory that makes the jícaro mix hired 15 people to handle its manufacture, packaging, and shipment.

Because water is a crucial need for food preparation and cleanup, parents in some schools have been re-energized to try to resolve longstanding problems with lack of water in the school. In some cases, such as the Wiscanal and Pabona Arriba Schools, for example, children have to bring water to school to make the atole. The parents in some communities are focusing their efforts on getting a community water system, or at least a system to supply the school.

Although it is very early in the PCI project in Nicaragua, some simple lessons have been learned.

Lack of food keeps children home as surely as does bad weather or the need for their work at home. Many children come to school hungry, and some have nothing to eat all day other than the food they receive at school. One school director in Yalí reported that he believed that about 20% of the school’s 1,770 students (three shifts of classes) have only the GFE breakfast in a 24-hour period.

In many cases, the problem of water rights must be addressed for schools to have a reliable source of potable water. The issue is complex and time-consuming to resolve. Communities alone often cannot solve the problems and need assistance in how to assert their rights under Nicaraguan laws of eminent domain. The private voluntary organization can be instrumental in helping communities make this linkage.

Midterm: Building and strengthening the relationship with the Ministry of Education, particularly at the local and departmental level, early in the GFE project yields great benefits in terms of support for GFE in the schools.

PCI is putting porcelain water filters in each school to provide safe water for children to drink and for making the jícaro mix.

Final: An amazing cookie. Francisico noticed that people were bringing cookies into the school and approached, hungry and malnourished. Although he wasn’t an enrolled student, he would hang around outside the school. His mother was single, and he had two other brothers that didn’t go to school either. The program monitor was able to convince him to come to school so he could get a cookie and learn. His brothers eventually enrolled as well. The community also reached out to help the mother since she could barely support her family much less contribute to the school meal. The whole family benefited positively. Isn’t it amazing what a cookie can do?

Midterm: At one two-teacher school with 140 students, 60-70 parents attended an early morning meeting at the school with the USDA monitors. Such a high turnout of parents relative to the number of students would be the envy of a PTA in the United States. It was an indication of strong parental interest in and support for the GFE project. The children walk up to two hours each way to attend school, leaving home with a flashlight to light the way. Their parents had to do the same thing in order to arrive on time for the meeting. The parents said that, before GFE, when they did not have food to give their children and would keep their children home because they did not want to send them such a long way to go all day without eating. With GFE, even if they have no food at home, they could send them, confident that their children will receive something to eat at school.

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