Malawi is a country in Africa that has suffered recently through massive flooding. Over a million people were affected according to the United Nations World Food Progamme (WFP).
This is a country that was struggling with poverty even before the floods. The people have little material resources to cope with such a disaster.
Just recently the WFP director, Ertharin Cousin, visited Malawi to see how the agency’s relief programs are helping. One of the biggest WFP relief programs is school feeding.
Over 800,000 children in Malawi receive WFP school feeding in over 700 schools. A grant from the US McGovern-Dole program is the largest donor making this possible.
Part of this WFP initiative is called Home-Grown School Feeding. This is where the food for the school meals are provided entirely by local farmers. Cousin visited the Ching’ombe Primary School which is taking part in the home-grown effort. WFP spokesperson Kaitlin Hodge says,
This school has been part of the pilot phase of this programme, supported by the Purchase from Africans for Africa (PAA) programme, which is funded by Brazil and UK aid, and by the Icelandic International Development Agency (ICEIDA).”
By the end of April almost 80,000 students in Malawi are expected to receive the home-grown school meals. About 6000 farmers in Malawi are supplying the meals.
Ultimately you want all school feeding in a developing country to be provided by local farmers. That way the economy benefits and it’s a source of supply that can continue.
Getting the home-grown effort off the ground is the key. Small farmers need that initial support so they can start supplying the food. That is where donors are crucial. WFP relies entirely on voluntary donations.
The home-grown school feeding effort is a step toward a national school lunch program. It’s a step toward food self-sufficiency for a nation, which is the road to ending world hunger.
Read the full article at Examiner.
Author William Lambers 