WFP-Ethiopia | United Nations World Food Programme - the UN food aid agency in Ethiopia

School Feeding In Ethiopia

School feeding is a crucial tool in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals and the Government of Ethiopia’s Education Sector Development Plan II’s aims of increasing primary school enrolment and promoting gender equality.

Food at school helps to offset the opportunity cost of sending children to school, increases concentration and provides short-term nutritional benefits.

However, perhaps its most significant legacy will be in the long term impacts it has on Ethiopia’s development – the future leaders, social reformers, entrepreneurs and a host of others will learn valuable transferable skills and how to apply them, they will learn the importance of literacy, numeracy, hygiene and health. They will ‘learn how to learn’ – a truly lifelong skill.

Who Benefits?

- 583,209 children, of whom 42% are female

-1097 Schools in 136 Woredas

-6 Regions are covered – Afar, Amhara, Oromiya, Somali, Tigray and SNNP

-80% of areas that benefit are chronically vulnerable to food insecurity

-The Girls Initiative provides incentive for 54,000 girls

1994-2003/4

What Are The General Trends?

‘School Feeding provides an important incentive for vulnerable families to invest in children’s education’

From 1999/00 – 2003/04 Average annual enrolment in assisted schools increased 12.2% compared to an average of 8.1% increase in non-assisted schools in the same zones.

‘Targeted interventions are successful in increasing gender equality’

The School Feeding Girls Initiative has increased the girls to boys ratio in assisted schools by 39.17% compared to just 3.57% in non-assisted schools between 2001/02and 2002/03

‘School feeding helps to break the poverty cycle often triggered and sustained by drought’

From 2002/03– 2003/04 when drought was a significant problem, gross enrolment increased at WFP assisted schools by 1.7% whilst actually decreasing in non-assisted schools by 1.2%

‘School feeding encourages families to invest in schooling in pastoral and semi pastoral areas’

During the year 2002/03 enrolment was increased by 9.37% compared to 5.90% in non-assisted schools for all pastoral and semi-pastoral areas

This chart illustrates that School Enrollment Growth Rates have been consistently higher for WFP assisted schools, even whilst specifically targeting the most vulnerable areas.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to see a breakdown of the costs?
Yes, WFP believes in the importance of transparency when it comes to costs and School Feeding is no exception. By being transparent WFP believes that School Feeding is more accountable to its partners and donors, who are .....