Nutrition and Financial Education: WFP’s Innovative Recipe in Toliara
Food diversification, management of local purchases, awareness-raising on nutrition education for children and financial education for parents at the same time, a whole range of topics on which WFP’s office in Toliara is working on. Since February 2019, eight schools in Toliara, benefiting a total of 5,306 children, have taken part in the “School Canteen and Cash Transfers” WFP Programme, with the support of the Ministry of National and Technical Education of Madagascar, and funded by the countries of Norway and Switzerland. A project aiming to improve the percentage of attendance rate in schools, reduce dropout rates and improve the nutritional quality of students through dietary diversification.
“The school canteen project integrates the cash transfer modality, led by a local management committee in collaboration with the FEFFI Committee (Farimbon’Ezaka ho Fahombiazana and Fanabeazana eny Ifotony) at the school level. It is usually the school directors, treasurers, storekeepers and cooks who are in charge of these cash transfers to provide a varied diet for students” says Tiana Zafindrazaka, in charge of cash transfers and resilience in WFP’s office in Toliara, South of Madagascar.
According to her, “The local school management committee daily buys fresh products from the local markets, following a nutritional plan and menu elaborated for the school children by WFP’s Nutrition Unit. Fresh products consist of, for example, fish, meats, eggs, salads, tomatoes, garlic, onions and fruits.
“The purchase of staple food is done by WFP through a local supplier who delivers rice, oil and legumes to schools. The quantities purchased and delivered are based on the number of children registered in school registers. WFP pays a sum of money into the bank account of the local school management committee, which uses it when buying products on the market for the school canteen” adds Clémence Tazanjanahary, WFP Monitoring Assistant, responsible for the School Canteen Programme.
“What we do with the School Canteen Programme encourages families to take their children to school more diligently. A full meal every day allows children attending classes to learn better and faster. The presence of students remains more constant, and this benefits the entire population. From an educational point of view, the results and the productivity of children are improving, they are more concentrated and satisfied to have good notes” explains Ms. Rina, Director of the public primary school of Tanandava Mikamba in Toliara.
At the same time, Ms. Delphine, Director of the Belalanda Primary Public School, emphasizes the management of the purchases and the financial education of the parents: “Thanks to the school canteen and cash transfers Programme, we learned to manage money and purchases. We know what to buy and in what quantity, depending on the daily presence of students at school. Parents are also very involved in the school canteen programme and in the community, they help in cooking, they provide food such as condiments and cooking salad or wood”.
“We look a lot at constant attendance results and school attendance rates” says Ms. Rina of Tanandava Mikamba. “We hope to soon have a school garden, where we can plant and grow our own vegetables, so that we can enhance the nutritional education of children by teaching them how to grow, cook, and better understand the nutritional values of food. This project would help foster healthy and diverse growth in families. The right to education is a universal right, which is why parents need to be aware of the importance of their children going to school”.
Children’s menus and socio-economic growth of the country
We visited two schools, where we met smiling children, full of energy and enthusiasm. At lunch time, hand washing is mandatory before going to lunch. We then discover the cook Delphine, an inspiring woman who has been working at the Belalanda School for 20 years.
Ms. Delphine follows us and tells us: “I have been doing this work since 1999. I find it satisfying. It is for me an act of love, of beneficence towards children, and a good action for their future. Some former students sometimes come back to school to greet me. It always makes me very happy, it’s a way for me to see that my daily work is reaping the fruit of the labor”.
The benevolence of the School Feeding Programme, coupled with the innovative cash transfer project, makes us believe in our work and a better future. A varied and diversified diet allows children to grow better, and thus contribute to the socio-economic growth of their country. All this is made possible thanks to the work of extraordinary teams.
Miara-miasa Isika, Ny firaisankinano Hery ! Nous travaillons ensemble, l’Union fait la Force !
