On
the occasion of Africa School Meals Day, the Gambia Government through the
Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) and the World Food Programme
(WFP) highlight the important role of partnership in achieving a sustainable
school meals programme.
The
event is being celebrated for the second time, after the African Heads of
State
gathered at the 26th African Union Summit in January 2016, passed a decision in
support of school feeding, and established 1 March as the African Day of School
Feeding.
In
The Gambia, the Government, supported by WFP, UN agencies and development
partners, work to integrate school meals as a national safety net into the
national development plan for sustainable growth and empowerment.
“Government
with other stakeholders will support the expansion of school feeding and
strengthen the establishment of school canteens for improving the nutritional
standards of school children”, said the Ministry of Basic and Secondary
Education in a statement on behalf of the Gambia Government.
This
year’s theme: “Home Grown School Feeding: Investment in Youth and Children to
Harnessing the Demographic Dividend,” is in line with the community-led
approach where school meals are sourced locally from smallholders, to children
in schools through the support of Ministry of Agriculture and FAO supported
smallholders farmers associations.
“Partnership
remains integral to harnessing joint effort towards a sustainable nationally
led programme which addresses the health and nutrition needs of children while
boosting smallholder production through commodity purchases,” said Angela
Cespedes, WFP Representative and Country Director.
WFP
in partnership with the Government is piloting Cash Based Transfers in schools
where the provision of daily meals is led by Food Management Committees and key
community members or caterers. The
initiative offer more flexibility to include local foods, improve diet
diversity in schools and empower communities.
More
than 100, 000 students in 368 schools in all six regions receive daily meals
each year thanks to the Government of the Gambia and valuable support of donors
such as the European Union, the Governments of Japan and the Republic of Korea.
