Final: The WFP-supported Food for Education Project (1996-2002) was already underway when the Global Food for Education Initiative (GFEI) began as a supplementary activity in Nepal. The GFEI effort targets primary and lower secondary school children in five districts of the central and eastern regions. It is managed as a separate activity from the Nepal Food for Education Project, but it follows the same objectives. The program is intended to increase access to basic education for families in food-deficit districts and to improve the health and nutritional status of school children. The Food for Education component expands WFP school feeding activities to an additional 200,000 children in first through eighth grades and the program serves 1,400 schools in five districts. In addition, 57,000 mothers receive two liters of vegetable oil per month when their daughter attends at least 80% of scheduled classes. All participating children benefit from a de-worming component, receiving medication and health and hygiene education two times a year.

Midterm: The long-term objective of the USDA-supported WFP school feeding project is to increase access to basic education for families in food-deficit districts and to improve the health and nutritional status of school children. Under the project, about 250,000 school children in first through eighth grades receive daily meals, and the mothers of about 42,000 girls in second through eighth grades receive vegetable oil. Enrollment rates for girls have increased at a greater rate per year than that of boys. This increase stems from the provision of take-home rations and is due, in part, to the fact that fewer girls were enrolled in the school system.

Nepal, a low-income, food-deficit country, has an annual per capita gross national product (GNP) of slightly over $200 (1998) and ranks 144th on the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Index (1999). Of its 22 million people, 42% live below the poverty line and more than one-third consume fewer than 2,250 kilocalories a day. The maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world, at 475 per 100,000 live births. The under-5 mortality rate is 118 per 1,000. Despite women's high labor input to the household economy, their access to assets and services and their involvement in decision-making is restricted by rigid socio-cultural practices.

Nepal’s literacy rate is the second lowest in the world. There are pronounced regional and gender disparities in school enrollment rates. The net enrollment rate for primary schools is 79.4% for boys, but only 61.2% for girls. In the far western hills, these rates drop to 77.8% for boys and 49.3% for girls, and, in Achham district, to as low as 50% for boys and 30% for girls.

Dropout and repetition rates remain high, with 23% dropping out in grade one and 55% before the completion of the primary cycle. Only 10% of those enrolled in first grade complete primary school without repeating a grade.

Poverty is the main cause of student dropouts. Girls tend to drop out earlier than boys, primarily because they are required to do most of the household chores. The incidence of short-term hunger often deters children from attending class regularly or concentrating on learning. In the hill districts, about 40% of the children walk long distances to school, often on steep mountainous terrain, while those who live near the schools often return home for a meal during the mid-morning break and then fail to return to school.

Final: During 2002, WFP approved and allocated 5,660 MT of food commodities for the GFEI project, including 3,770 MT of wheat-soya blend (WSB) and 1,890 MT of vegetable oil. Out of the allocated commodities, Nepal has received 2,450 MT of the WSB and the entire 1,890 MT of vegetable oil. The remaining 1,320 MT of WSB was loaned to India and was to have been restored by the end of June 2003.

The current food stocks for the supplemental project are expected to be sufficient to meet program needs through December 2003. However, the availability of food needed to continue the program beyond that point remains uncertain.

Midterm: The following commodities were provided for this project under GFEI contributions:

An operational contract was signed with the Government of Nepal in November of 2002. The contract will cover school feeding operations from 2002 through 2006. During the past year, significant changes were made in Nepalese educational policies, including the academic calendar (classes start in April now instead of July). In addition, the Government began a systematic effort to streamline program management, operations, monitoring, coordination and reporting as school feeding efforts expand.

During the last several years Nepal has experienced a significant deterioration in the overall security situation as a result of Maoist insurgency activities. In November of 2001, the Government declared a "State of Emergency." The countrywide decree remained in force until August of 2002. Security forces continued to be used extensively after the decree was lifted in an attempt to quell the insurgency. As a result, security measures in several of the FFE project districts (including 3 out of 5 under GFEI) were elevated and the region was moved to a UN Phase II Security District.

Peace talks began in March of 2003. The discussions have raised hopes of improvements in the security situation in many of the FFE districts. If these improvements are realized, they are likely to result in parallel improvements in project operations.

Goals and objectives: The long-term goal is to increase access to basic education for families in food-deficit districts with high educational needs, and to improve the health and nutritional status of school children. The project aims to:

Final: The program is meeting its goal of providing 200,000 children in 16 districts with a hot meal each school day. The number includes 152,300 boys and 97,700 girls served under the on-going Food for Education project. The program also provides a meal a day to another 200,000 school children (128,800 boys and 71,200 girls) in five districts.

Midterm: The Primary School Nutritious Food Program (PSNFP), under the Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MOE), will remain the management unit responsible for implementing and monitoring Food for Education.

The de-worming program will continue to be implemented with technical assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) and through close operational coordination between MOE and the Ministry of Health.

The yearly number of participants is about 250,000 school children in grades one through eight who receive a daily school meal, as well as mothers of about 42,000 girls in grades two through eight who receive vegetable oil.

With the exception of vegetable oil, WFP intends to procure all food requirements locally, as this has proved to be more cost-effective than importing in-kind contributions.

Moreover, considering the complex logistics in the hill and mountain districts, the local procurement can ensure timely delivery and minimize losses resulting from limited storage capacities in remote districts.

A mid-day meal will be provided to relieve short-term hunger, provide micronutrients to improve the overall health of children, and enable children to attend school regularly. The proposed daily per capita ration is 110 grams of fortified food mix (composed of 85 grams of cereal blend, 15 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of vegetable ghee). This will provide approximately 463 kilocalories, about 15 grams of fat, and 17 grams of protein, plus micronutrients.

In selected districts and communities, a take-home ration consisting of two liters of vegetable oil per month will be provided to the mothers of girls, in order to encourage families to enroll their daughters in school and keep them there. As the vegetable oil is to be delivered directly to the girls’ mothers, it will also boost interactions between parents and school staff and serve as a vehicle for community participation in school planning in general and in the management of feeding activities in particular. Both the midday meal and the take-home ration will reduce the opportunity costs of basic education for very poor families.

The following outcome indicators have been identified:

WFP conducted a Midterm review of the regular school feeding project in 2000. Results indicate the following impacts in schools where children receive the midday meal:

In December of 2000, a rapid appraisal of the girls’ incentive program (take-home oil ration) indicated that attendance had increased by 11% on average. The appraisal also found that the proportion of girls measured against total enrollment figures rose 6%. The strongest effects were evident in grade two, where girls’ enrollment increased by 15% on average.

Similar impacts are expected for GFEI districts. However, experience with the Food for Education program suggests that it may take more than one year to realize significant program benefits, and sustainability of the program is a matter of concern among program managers.

Community Involvement: WFP’s school feeding or Food for Education strategy has evolved in recent years. In order to ensure that the activity is streamlined into sector-wide efforts to increase access to education and improve its quality, District Education Officers will take a more pro-active role in resource programming activities, implementation, and impact monitoring. The program will continue to be operated at some of the schools established by communities with assistance from UNDP’s Community Owned Primary Education Program (COPE). COPE works to empower local people, communities and institutions to plan and efficiently deliver quality primary education in community schools. Future partnership activities will include mobilization of school level Food Management Committees with the support of local NGOs.

These activities will also be supported by UNDP's Rural Energy Development Project and Energy Sector Assistance Program (ESAP) through the Center for Rural Technology Nepal (CRT). The goal will be to construct energy-efficient stoves to reduce the amount of fuel wood required for the cooking of school meals.

WHO provides technical assistance to the de-worming project. Upcoming partnerships include initiatives with FAO to establish school gardens and with UNICEF for school support packages. WFP seeks to expand its range of partners with to enhance parent participation in school feeding and related activities and to enhance the quality of and access to education.

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