Schools and Nutrition

Every day, a lot of children throughout the world turn up for school without eating anything, so this makes it difficult for them to focus on the lessons. Many students do not go to school, as their families need them to work in the fields or around the house.

For all of them, a school meal can mean not only better nutrition and health, but also increased access to and achievement in education. It is also a reward to send children to school consistently.

In 2017, the World Food Programme (WFT) supported school meals programmes in 71 countries. The WFP provided school meals to 18.3 million children in 60 countries. It also inspired 65 governments, which led to improved national school meals programmes for another 39 million children.

This programme has different alternatives between the provision of breakfast or lunch and both. Some programmes provide meals, while others distribute fortified, high-energy biscuits or nutritious snacks. Food and/or cash rations are handed out to families as a motivation to keep children in school on condition that they attend regularly.

In 46 countries, school meals programmes are linked to local smallholder farm production, combining nutritional and educational advantages with a positive impact on local economies. School meals programmes can build trust in national education systems. In Tunisia, where the national school meals programme reaches 240,000 children in 2,500 schools, local youths are employed as caterers to help decrease youth unemployment.

Programmes can be formed depending on the specific target groups of children, including those forced into child labour, or those whose lives have been affected by AIDS. They can also prevent early marriage for girls and help them access better paid jobs through their education. In Malawi, a joint programme by the government, the WFP, UNICEF and UNFPA has been designed specifically to tackle various cultural barriers preventing girls from attending school.

During crises, school meals successfully meet basic nutritional needs while getting children back to the classroom. In Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, school meals are helping refugee children improve their nutrition and continue their education, investing in their own and the region’s future.

Adapted from the World Food Programme website