School feeding programmes play a crucial role in ensuring children's well-being and academic success across the country and the world. Providing nutritious meals to students addresses not just immediate hunger, but also improves school enrollment, retention, academic performance, and to some extent, alleviates financial burdens on families. Additionally, school feeding programmes positively impact health outcomes, reducing absenteeism and promoting overall community development. It is essential to recognise the significance of these initiatives, as they promote the holistic development of children, facilitating a brighter future for generations to come.
Referring to the Learning Outcomes among Public Primary Schools in Kenya -Positive Deviance Inquiry Final Report( June 2018) , we learn that schools with successful feeding programmes were not part of national or county homegrown programmes. Rather, they were consistent with the calls in the NESP 2014 policy document for sustainable school meals programmes in high/medium potential areas, with community support.
Parents' associations in these schools successfully mobilised their membership and catchment communities to contribute to the meals kitty, with parents implementing the feeding programs. To promote inclusivity, children who could not pay for meals were exempted, or covered by other parents and/or well-wishers. The sustained success of these programmes was attributed to the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders, including parents, communities and school leadership, in mobilising resources and ensuring inclusivity in providing meals for students.
On April 16, 2024, Jaslika had the privilege of participating in a School Meals Forum hosted by World Vision Kenya in Nairobi. Bringing together key stakeholders to discuss the importance of school feeding programmes, the event aimed at generating learnings from successful interventions and advocating for sustainable programmes.
The Forum saw the participation of seven members of parliament from Makueni, Yatta, West Kivirango, Bondo, Ingembe South and Suba South, with three sharing their experiences in running school feeding programmes in their constituencies. Representatives from Dagoretti South, Aldai, and Hamisi highlighted initiatives to provide nutritious meals to school children, emphasising the positive impact on enrollment and retention rates.
World Vision's Chief Executive Officer emphasised the crucial link between school feeding programmes and educational outcomes, expressing the organisation's commitment to ensuring food security for all school-going children. The Chief Executive Officer urged parliamentarians to allocate funds and support the expansion of these programmes nationwide.
A call for inclusivity from pre-primary to high school students in feeding programmes, setting a maximum cost of 20 Ksh (15 cents USD) per child per day, and advocating for multi-sectoral funding involving parents through the Parent Teacher Associations, were some of the key outcomes of this Forum. Strategies for sustainable programme implementation, such as agricultural intensification and capacity building, were also discussed.
Parliamentarians were tasked with engaging the Ministry of Education, developing policies for programme scale-up, as well as clarifying responsibilities for effective resource consolidation and accountability. Collaboration with local and international partners was highlighted to enhance programme effectiveness and reach.
The School Meals Forum underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in securing access to nutritious meals for all school children, paving the way for improved educational outcomes and community well-being.