WFP School feeding initiative transforms learning in Northern Bahr El Ghazal

By Awan Achiek

Several children who had previously dropped out of school due to lack of meals have returned following the introduction of home–grown school feeding meals in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State since January 2024.

Yel Garang, a 19-year-old primary eight pupil of Salvation Primary School said that the home-grown school-feeding programme has improved the quality of life for many children from humble backgrounds in the state.

“Before the introduction of the school feeding program, life was very hard at school, we went the whole day without eating anything and the enrolment was very poor but now with the introduction of the food, the number of students increased and children no longer feel hungry,” Garang told journalists last week at Maluil Akoon Primary School in Aweil East County.

The home-grown school feeding program is an initiative of the World Food Programme (WFP) that sources food from small-holder farmers to provide daily meals to 20,000 pupils in 44 schools in Northern Bahr El Ghazal State.

Santino Garang, the headmaster of Salvation Primary School said that the programme has increased primary school enrollment from 150 to 1,054 in this academic year.

“The enrolment of this year 2024 is 1,054 pupils and before the introduction of the program, we had 350 in 2017 and 2018,” he said.

Abuk Akoon, a 16-year-old primary six pupil of Maluil Akoon Primary School said that they are not only fed but also are learning how to establish a nursery bed at school.

“The things that I have learned from this garden, I will be able to practice them at home and set up my own garden at home. I have seen how the nursery bed is set up and how transplanting is done,” Akoon said.

“This garden has really helped us a lot before we were idle and we did not have any activity to do at school but this garden has created activities,” she added.

James Ngang, 21, a pupil in primary eight at Maluil Akoon Primary School established his own garden on 21st December 2023 after learning from the school garden.

Ngang grows crops like okra, Jute mallow and others in his home garden.

“I grow okra, Kudra or Jute Mallow, plus cow pea. I learned it from the garden of the school,” he said.

Ngang said that he uses the profits from the garden to pay his school fees.

  “It helps me like when there is nothing at home, I can use it to support my parents and I bought the school uniform I am wearing from selling vegetables on this farm,” he said.

Gabriel Deng Lual, Acting headmaster of Maluil Akoon Primary School said that the school garden is supplementing the home-grown school feeding.

“This school garden is very important because of all of the things which have been planted here and when they grow well, we cook for the children in school for their feeding,” Deng said, adding that they are able to feed over 849 children in the school.

“With the introduction of the school feeding program, the number of pupils increased, the number of boys present in this school is 409 and the total number of girls is 433 which is totaling 849 children,” he disclosed.

He said they are receiving new pupils because of the school feeding meals.

“The food prepared at the school motivates them and they are now coming, most of the children came today and we are yet to register them,” Deng said.

He noted that the home-grown school feeding program has improved the academic performance of pupils because they are regularly attending classes.

Elizabeth Akuach Aruai, a farmer who sells her groundnuts and sorghum through retailers to Maluil Akoon Primary School and WFP, said the profits have transformed her livelihood.

“When I get 20 bags from the farm, I sell the surplus and use the rest for home consumption and for cultivation,” Akuach said.

Juac Kuch Ngor, the U.N. WFP retailer said he has benefited from the support of WFP as he is able to reap profits by selling the food bought from local farmers to different schools.

“The problem with us here is the inflation in the market, the price of today will not be the same as tomorrow,” he said.

“We charged 1 bag of cereal SSP 1,400 which is 140,000 SSP per 100 km and the problem is in the market, when they hear that WFP is buying food they increase the prices,” Kuch said.

Albino Ajith Deng, Commodity Tracking Officer at Welt Hunger Hilfe which is the implementing partner of WFP, said that the home-grown feeding programme was introduced at the beginning of this year, adding that many pupils have been trained enabling them to extend the benefits of the programme to households.

 “They (pupils) are implementing this gardening at their own homes,” Ajith said.

He said that they are providing meals to 475 pupils based on attendance.

Ajith said that the school feeding programme has improved the nutritional level of the pupils in various schools in Northern Bahr Ghazal State.

“Most of the pupils when they get food in the school and when they go back home and they don’t find food at home, they use the same food they have got in the school for their own survival and it helps nutritionally,” he said.

 Abdulaziz Norman, WFP Head of Field Office in Aweil said that the program has had a significant impact on children by increasing enrolment as well as attendance.

“We have seen also improvement in terms of attention, focus and we have seen the promotion of healthy food dietary intake for the students,” Norman said.

“We have introduced this year, home-grown feeding that goes beyond pupils, it extends the benefit of the school feeding program because it promotes diversification of food and it’s used locally sourced food,” he said.

He added that the programme has strengthened the capacities of the farmers who sell to food retailers who then supply the schools with food.

“The benefit is going to the community and to local farmers and it will stimulate the local market and will increase the farmer’s productivity and in terms of food storage,” Norman said.

In November 2023, the country launched a four-year home-grown school feeding program supported by WFP to help improve school enrollment and retention.

It also supports smallholder farmers to produce food which stimulates agricultural productivity.

The feeding strategy aims to fulfil five key objectives which include incentivizing education for children from vulnerable communities, improving enrollment and stimulating local production.