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.

Pays/région Thème Période Budget
Laos
Santé
Eau
Agriculture et sécurité alimentaire
nothemedefined
Nutrition de base
Assainissement d'eau
Développement agricole
01.10.2024 - 30.09.2026
CHF  979’000
Contexte 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.
Objectifs

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.

Groupes cibles

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.
Effets à moyen terme
  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.
Résultats

Principaux résultats attendus:  

  • 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.


Principaux résultats antérieurs:   N/A


Direction/office fédéral responsable DDC
Partenaire de projet Partenaire contractuel
Organisme des Nations Unies (ONU)
  • Programme alimentaire mondial

Partenaire de mise en œuvre
WFP

Coordination avec d'autres projets et acteurs SDC: LURAS, ENUFF, VTESS
Budget Phase en cours Budget de la Suisse CHF    979’000 Budget suisse déjà attribué CHF    792’000 Projet total depuis la première phase Budget de la Suisse CHF   0 Budget y compris partenaires de projet CHF   979’000