Accelerating School Meals, Empowering Communities: A Climate Resilient Approach


The macroeconomic crisis, characterized by high inflation and public debt, in addition to the accelerating impact of climate change, is putting pressure on food security, families’ livelihoods and public services. Households’ coping capacities are getting stretched and school drop outs rising. This contribution aims to enhance localization of the National School Lunch Programme and increase communities’ economic and climate resilience, while keeping children at school.

Región/País Tema Período Presupuesto
Laos
Salud
Agua
Agricultura y seguridad alimentaria
nothemedefined
Nutrición de base
Saneamiento de agua
Desarrollo agrícolo
01.10.2024 - 30.09.2026
CHF  979’000
Contexto the macroeconomic crisis, characterized by high inflation and public debt, is putting pressure on public budgets, including on health and education, as well as on families’ livelihoods and food security. The accelerating impact of climate change exacerbates these issues through increased storms, floods and droughts. Coping capacities of households are increasingly stretched, and school drop outs rising. The proportion of youth aged 6-17 not enrolled in school has risen from 6.5% in December 2022 to 11% in June 2023, while public spending on social protection, education and health remains well below averages in the sub-region, hindering human capital development. Since 2002, the School Meals Programme has improved education and nutrition outcomes, with the National School Lunch Programme (NSLP) established in 2014 to provide hot lunches to children in disadvantaged areas. It has proved an effective way to improve retention of children at school. However, the NSLP faces challenges such as insufficient funding and poor infrastructure: school cantines have a lack of water supply, leading to hygiene risks. Poor kitchen environments with energy-inefficient stoves put pressure on natural resources through excessive use of firewood, and are causing emissions and health hazards for women volunteer cooks. While supplying school meals through gender-inclusive local production is an important opportunity for women empowerment and strengthening local economies, the increasing impact of climate change puts a risk on food security, community resilience and sustainable localization of the NSLP.
Objetivos

Overall Goal

To strengthen human capital through a sustainable national school meals programme.

Project Objective

Schoolchildren in vulnerable areas have improved food security, nutrition and learning results through a sustainable national school meals programme that is localized, climate- and gender-inclusive.

Grupos destinarios

13,730 direct beneficiaries, including:

  • 12,000 school children provided with daily nutritious school meals and improved access to education;
  • 240 women cooks receive economic empowerment packages;
  • 1,380 smallholder farmers (with a special focus on women farmers) assisted to produce climate-resilient food for the school meals;
  • 110 government officials at sub-national level with increased program implementing capacity.
Efectos a medio plazo
  1. Improved school environment and facilities for sustainable implementation of the school meals programme.
  2. Targeted school children have increased access to nutritious and diversified foods.
  3. Strengthened community capacity, especially for women’s groups, to contribute to the national school meals programme through the home-grown school feeding approach.
  4. Improved sustainability and scale of national school meals programmes through government support.
Resultados

Resultados previstos:  

  • Clean cooking facilities: construct kitchens and provide energy-efficient stoves in 120 schools.
  • Water accessibility: establish safe water sources in 120 schools.
  • Women's empowerment: economic empowerment and incentive packages to female NSLP cooks.
  • Local food systems: assist 1,380 smallholder farmers with a special focus on women farmers in 75 villages to supply climate-resilient produce for schools.
  • Capacity building: conduct an institutional capacity assessment for NSLP.


Resultados de las fases anteriores:   N/A


Dirección / Officina Federal responsable COSUDE
Contrapartes del proyecto Contraparte del contrato
Organización de las Naciones Unidas (ONU)
  • World Food Programme

Contraparte de la implémentación
WFP

Coordinación con otros proyectos y actores SDC: LURAS, ENUFF, VTESS
Presupuesto Fase en curso Presupuesto suizo CHF    979’000 Presupuesto actual suizo ya emitido CHF    792’000 Total del proyecto desde la primera fase Presupuesto suizo CHF   0 Presupuesto inclusive contrapartes del proyecto CHF   979’000