Food For Education, Nutrition Programme : Over 760,000 Cameroonian Stakeholders Benefit In Five Years

The Cameroon Ministry of Basic Education, the charity, Nascent Solutions, the United States of America, USA Embassy in Cameroon and other stakeholders on Wednesday, December 13, gathered in Mbankomo on the outskirts of the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde. For a one-day workshop to disseminate results of the final evaluation and strategies for institutionalising a home-grown school meals programme in Cameroon.

Five Years Of Implementation  
The workshop came after five years of implementation of the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme from 2018-2023. In four of Cameroon’s administrative regions - the North West, East, Adamawa and North. As well as in the Centre Region. The project is funded by the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID to the tune of 27 million US dollars. It seeks to improve the literacy of school-age children through the improved quality of instruction, pupil attentiveness and attendance. And the use of positive health, nutrition and dietary practices.  

Excellent, Encouraging Results
Talking to journalists at the workshop, Oyono Adams Daniel, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Basic Education said the Cameroonian and American governments took cognizance of the stakes of human capital in education. Which is made possible through higher school enrolment and improved performance rates.
“There was need to encourage children to come to school, and the school feeding programme is part of such motivating elements. Cameroon has ratified a number of international conventions and signed partnerships with organisations like Nascent Solutions which works with the United States Department for Agriculture, USDA in the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Project… The results are excellent. We noticed a significant increase in school attendance rates in project schools, compared to other schools around them,” the Permanent Secretary commented.
“We plan to use these best practices on a national scale so that all our school children benefit from them. We hope a national policy on school feeding will soon go operational,” Mr Oyono said.

“Proud Of Our Relationship”
The United States of America Ambassador to Cameroon, His Excellency Christopher John Lamora said his government was very proud of the relationship with the government of Cameroon, especially the Ministry of Basic Education as well as the partner-implementer, Nascent Solutions.  “Over the past five years of the McGovern-Dole School Feeding Programme, we have fed not just thousands of children in four Cameroonian regions, but also hundreds of thousands of people by extension when you include school administrators, teachers, family members, pregnant women and nursing mothers,” he said.

Better Feeding, Improved Learning
According to the Ambassador, children who are better fed learn better. Those who cannot eat at home before going to school because their families cannot afford it are unable to concentrate in classroom. “The partnership with the Government of Cameroon and Nascent Solutions has not only provided food, but also education. We look forward to seeing the final results of the assessment from Nascent to continue the partnership to feed and educate Cameroon’s children,” US envoy promised.

Improving Literacy, Dietary Practices
He added that the United States has long been committed to helping Cameroon advance its national development objectives. This partnership takes many forms, from health and humanitarian assistance, to supporting efforts like the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Project to improve the literacy of school-age children as well as their health and dietary practices.
Through the Food for Education programme, the US Department of Agriculture and Nascent Solutions have distributed food commodities to children in 240 primary schools in four regions, including the Centre Region. They provided training on farming techniques to local farmers, trained community health workers on nutrition strategies, and raised awareness on good hygiene and sanitation practices, Ambassador Lamora disclosed.

760 Project Beneficiaries
“The programme directly assisted 118,000 primary school children, but that was just the start. The activities benefitted a total of 760,000 individuals once you take into account school administrators, teachers, parents, pregnant and lactating mothers,” he explained. However, the task has not been easy, Lamora admitted. As those carrying out the programme had to adapt as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted school attendance for much of 2020 and 2021. School attendance was also affected by the crisis in the North West Region.

$27 Million Project
“But our partners adapted, such as when the leaders of the programme implemented a mobile reading programme to help pupils keep learning despite the challenges,” he mentioned. Over five years, and with US funding contribution of $27 million, the project succeeded in increasing school attendance and literacy. It also improved the health and nourishment of pupils and their families,” Christopher John Lamora concluded.

Project Council Support
A spokesman for project councils, the Mayor of Diang in the East Region, Alain Wilfried Menganas listed the project dividends as including increased enrolment and school attendance rates, hygiene and sanitation practices, and the creation of school gardens. Project councils signed partnerships with Nascent Solutions and offered support for activities. Mayor Menganas promised more support in future.
He said 68 out of the 92 project schools in the North West Region were operational because of the crisis. He urged government to put in place a clearly defined national school feeding policy, restore security in the North West Region and enable project beneficiary councils to share their experiences with other councils.    

Two Strategic Objectives
Dr Henry Njakoi, Nascent Solutions Cameroon Country Director said McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme has two strategic objectives – improving literacy and the adopting good hygiene practices. With components on education, agriculture, health, Water, Hygiene an...