School feeding boosts Namibian kids
A study undertaken by the education ministry shows that there would be multiple benefits to diversifying schools meals to include local produce.
JANA-MARI SMITH
The Namibian school feeding programme could be boosted with the introduction of produce from local farms and the implementation of the school feeding policy.
Speaking on Friday at the second annual Africa Day of School Feeding celebrations, education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa explained that preliminary results from a feasibility study undertaken by the ministry and partners indicated that there would be multiple benefits to diversifying schools meals to include local produce.
“If it does happen, this will have a double benefit. Firstly, it will diversify school meals and increase the nutrition intake of food by learners, and secondly, it will increase income for smallholding farmers.”
The minister said a draft school feeding policy had been completed and was due for management review and subsequent ratification by the government.
“It is my belief that this policy will help streamline and strengthen the implementation of the school feeding programme,” Hanse-Himarwa said.
More than 330 000 learners in 1 400 pre-primary and primary schools are currently on Namibia’s school feeding programme.
The Kunene, Otjozondjupa and Omaheke regions top the list of regions in need of school feeding support.
Through the school feeding programme, learners receive a daily plate of fortified maize meal blend, which is aimed at helping address short-term hunger or other nutritional shortcomings, particularly for children from vulnerable communities
The education ministry last week confirmed that there was a need to provide a similar programme for secondary school learners, “because the vulnerability and hunger state of a child in primary school does not change once they go to secondary school.”
Moreover, a spokesperson explained that the school feeding programme addressed “hidden hunger and provides micro-nutrients needed for a child’s growth and development”, which included children from middle- and high-income families.
“I want to dispel the misconception that school feeding is for poor people … even a child from a well-off family needs school feeding because this child may be provided with ‘junk’ food at home, devoid of the nutrition which they can get from the school feeding programme,” Johanna Absalom said.
She said the school feeding programme aimed to provide good nutrition for all learners.
Hanse-Himarwa said one of the main benefits of school feeding programmes was the impact on school attendance and the reduction of school dropout rates.
Access to a daily nutritious meal furthermore improves learning, cognitive capacity, concentration and contributes to improved overall performance.
She added that for many children in Namibia, the daily plate of maize from the Namibia school feeding programme was “one of the main meals of the day.”
The second Africa Day of School Feeding was celebrated under the banner ‘Home-grown School Feeding: Investment in Youth and Children to Harness the Demographic Dividend’.
Under the theme, the idea is that school feeding is a crucial investment for any country and not just a spending of national resources.
“It reinforces the fact that school feeding has short-, medium- and long-term dividends for our children,” the minister said.
Jennifer Bitonde, a representative in Namibia of the World Food Programme, said 370 million schoolchildren received food every day through their governments.
“School feeding is a vital safety net for protection against hunger and poverty,” she said.
In sub-Saharan Africa, “where the needs are highest and the coverage is lowest, only 30 million children receive food at school,” she said.
That is one of the reasons behind the decision by African heads of state to adopt the home-grown school feeding strategy to address the gap, she said.
She praised the Namibian government’s commitment and the fact that 330 000 learners were beneficiaries of the programme.
She said a cost-benefit analysis conducted in 15 countries had shown that for every single dollar invested in school meals, a return of about U$10 was recorded.
“You can see that countries cannot afford not to invest in school feeding because the return on investment is hard to ignore.”
The Namibian school feeding programme could be boosted with the introduction of produce from local farms and the implementation of the school feeding policy.
Speaking on Friday at the second annual Africa Day of School Feeding celebrations, education minister Katrina Hanse-Himarwa explained that preliminary results from a feasibility study undertaken by the ministry and partners indicated that there would be multiple benefits to diversifying schools meals to include local produce.
“If it does happen, this will have a double benefit. Firstly, it will diversify school meals and increase the nutrition intake of food by learners, and secondly, it will increase income for smallholding farmers.”
The minister said a draft school feeding policy had been completed and was due for management review and subsequent ratification by the government.
“It is my belief that this policy will help streamline and strengthen the implementation of the school feeding programme,” Hanse-Himarwa said.
More than 330 000 learners in 1 400 pre-primary and primary schools are currently on Namibia’s school feeding programme.
The Kunene, Otjozondjupa and Omaheke regions top the list of regions in need of school feeding support.
Through the school feeding programme, learners receive a daily plate of fortified maize meal blend, which is aimed at helping address short-term hunger or other nutritional shortcomings, particularly for children from vulnerable communities
The education ministry last week confirmed that there was a need to provide a similar programme for secondary school learners, “because the vulnerability and hunger state of a child in primary school does not change once they go to secondary school.”
Moreover, a spokesperson explained that the school feeding programme addressed “hidden hunger and provides micro-nutrients needed for a child’s growth and development”, which included children from middle- and high-income families.
“I want to dispel the misconception that school feeding is for poor people … even a child from a well-off family needs school feeding because this child may be provided with ‘junk’ food at home, devoid of the nutrition which they can get from the school feeding programme,” Johanna Absalom said.
She said the school feeding programme aimed to provide good nutrition for all learners.
Hanse-Himarwa said one of the main benefits of school feeding programmes was the impact on school attendance and the reduction of school dropout rates.
Access to a daily nutritious meal furthermore improves learning, cognitive capacity, concentration and contributes to improved overall performance.
She added that for many children in Namibia, the daily plate of maize from the Namibia school feeding programme was “one of the main meals of the day.”
The second Africa Day of School Feeding was celebrated under the banner ‘Home-grown School Feeding: Investment in Youth and Children to Harness the Demographic Dividend’.
Under the theme, the idea is that school feeding is a crucial investment for any country and not just a spending of national resources.
“It reinforces the fact that school feeding has short-, medium- and long-term dividends for our children,” the minister said.
Jennifer Bitonde, a representative in Namibia of the World Food Programme, said 370 million schoolchildren received food every day through their governments.
“School feeding is a vital safety net for protection against hunger and poverty,” she said.
In sub-Saharan Africa, “where the needs are highest and the coverage is lowest, only 30 million children receive food at school,” she said.
That is one of the reasons behind the decision by African heads of state to adopt the home-grown school feeding strategy to address the gap, she said.
She praised the Namibian government’s commitment and the fact that 330 000 learners were beneficiaries of the programme.
She said a cost-benefit analysis conducted in 15 countries had shown that for every single dollar invested in school meals, a return of about U$10 was recorded.
“You can see that countries cannot afford not to invest in school feeding because the return on investment is hard to ignore.”
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