ROME – Amidst a global food crisis, a new report says governments worldwide are increasingly convinced that school meals are a powerful and cost-effective way of ensuring vulnerable children get the food they need.

Almost 420 million children worldwide receive school meals, according to the State of School Feeding Worldwide report, issued by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). At a time when 345 million people face crisis levels of hunger, including 153 million children and young people, school meals are a critical safety net for vulnerable children and households, the report said.

“The near $50 billion industry in school meal programs worldwide offers a promising opportunity to help secure the future of the world’s children,” the report said, noting that 75 governments have now joined a coalition that aims to ensure every child can receive a daily, nutritious meal in school by 2030.

Thanks to a determined effort by the governments to restore free lunch programs after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children receiving meals globally is now 30 million higher than in 2020.

“This is good news. Governments are making the well-being of children a priority and investing in the future,” said Carmen Burbano, the U.N. World Food Programme’s head of school-based programs. “As the world grapples with a global food crisis, which risks robbing millions of children of their future, school meals have a vital role to play. In many of the countries where we work, the meal a child gets in school might be the only meal they get that day.”

The global recovery received crucial support from the government-led School Meals Coalition, an important network for information exchange and advocacy that was formed in 2020 in response to the pandemic’s impacts.

The report also highlighted differences between the high-income world, where 60% of school children get meals, and low-income countries where only 18% do. While the recovery was rapid in most countries, the number of children fed in school in low-income countries is still 4% below pre-COVID levels, with the biggest declines observed in Africa. This was despite low-income countries increasing their domestic financing for school meals by around 15% since 2020.

Some low-income countries have been unable to rebuild their national programs and need more help. In eight African countries, less than 10% of schoolchildren receive a free or subsidized meal in school, the report showed.

“Investments are lowest where children need school meals the most,” said Burbano. “We need to support low-income countries in finding more sustainable ways of funding these programs. This will require time-bound support from donor countries as well as increases in domestic investment.”

School meal programs worldwide offer a range of benefits. A free lunch attracts more children – especially girls – to school, enables them to learn better when they are there and helps them maintain good health. The report also noted that a combination of health and education offers children in low-income countries the best route out of poverty and malnutrition.

Research has shown that school meals programs can increase enrollment rates by 9% and attendance by 8%. The report also cited research showing that school meals programs can have beneficial effects on agriculture, education, health and nutrition, and social protection, with $9 in returns for every $1 invested.

When school meals programs are linked to local small-scale farmers, they also benefit local economies and support the establishment of more sustainable food systems. For every 100,000 children fed through a school meal program, almost 1,400 jobs are created – leading to around 4 million jobs in 85 countries.

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About the United Nations World Food Programme
The United Nations World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s leading humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change

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Grantees — all focused on elevating Afghan girls’ education — include Lamia Afghan Foundation, Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation and School of Leadership Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON, DC (March 8, 2022)—World Food Program USA announces three new grantees for The Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls’ Education: Lamia Afghan Foundation, Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation and School of Leadership Afghanistan. With women and girls disproportionately impacted by hunger, the Bertini Fund works to empower them with the knowledge, training, and leadership skills necessary to achieve food security and reach their full potential.

The Lamia Afghan Foundation is an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to helping the children and disadvantaged people of Afghanistan by providing humanitarian aid, educational opportunities, and vocational training that will create opportunities for the next generation of Afghans that were unavailable or out of reach for their parents.

“This generous grant will allow us to have ten schools for girls in a protected and safe environment. They will be able to study beyond the sixth grade even though the Taliban has said that is the limit for public schooling for girls,” said President and CEO of the Lamia Afghan Foundation John Bradley, Lieutenant General, U.S. Air Force (Retired). “We have educated tens of thousands of girls in the fourteen years of our foundation work. The Taliban may be in control of the government now, but the education they received cannot be taken from these girls.”

Founded in 2007 by humanitarian, social innovator and Afghan native Razia Jan, Razia’s Ray of Hope is supported by a global team of women leaders and visionaries committed to peace. The Foundation knows that community-based, culturally aware education is a critical pathway toward meaningful change for future generations. Founded on the knowledge that education is key to positive, peaceful change for current and future generations, Razia’s Ray of Hope provides young Afghans with the opportunity to learn in a safe, nurturing environment.

“The Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls’ Education’s investment in our teacher training program helps to ensure the sustainability of Afghan girls’ education, and we could not be more grateful. Educated girls show the world the value of a dowry is nothing compared to that of a diploma,” said Razia Jan, Founder of Razia’s Ray of Hope.

The School of Leadership Afghanistan (SOLA)’s mission is to provide Afghan girls with an environment where they can focus on their education and reach their potential in a way that is unprecedented in Afghanistan. SOLA can provide a safe and nurturing space in which to learn, where students can go from believing their role in society is to raise a family to navigating the world as critical thinkers and leaders who understand that they have the power to shape their nation’s future.

“The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan has imperiled the educations of millions of Afghan girls–not only girls still living in Afghanistan, but also those now dispersed worldwide in refugee camps. We’ve recently launched our 2022 admissions season at SOLA, and this grant will broaden our ability to specifically reach out to Afghan girls in these camps and to ultimately bring dozens of them to our Rwanda campus to continue their schooling this fall, ” said SOLA founder Shabana Basij-Rasikh.

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About World Food Program USA

World Food Program USA, a 501(c)(3) organization based in Washington, DC, proudly supports the mission of the United Nations World Food Programme by mobilizing American policymakers, businesses and individuals to advance the global movement to end hunger. Our leadership and support help to bolster an enduring American legacy of feeding families in need around the world. To learn more about World Food Program USA’s mission, please visit  wfpusa.org/mission-history.

About the Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls’ Education

After winning the World Food Prize in 2003, Catherine Bertini, the former executive director for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), recognized an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for women’s empowerment. Bertini used her winnings to establish the Catherine Bertini Trust Fund for Girls’ Education, a fund that supports innovative grassroots initiatives around the globe that boost access to training and educational opportunities for girls.

Media Contact:  
Toula Athas
World Food Program USA
tathas@wfpusa.org

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