Vice President Kembo Mohadi has hailed the School Feeding Program saying it is an essential tool for development which Zimbabwe considers as an investment and government should avail more resources towards the program.
Mohadi was speaking at the third edition of the African Day of School Feeding at Glen View No 2 Primary School in Harare where he emphasized the role school feeding programme has had on the country.
“School feeding is an essential tool for development which Zimbabwe considers as an investment in a special context, other than merely attracting learners to school.
“We need to bear in mind that failure to invest in food and nutrition security, particularly for children, would retard the development of our countries in socio-economic terms,” said Mohadi.
Every day, nearly 10 million children receive a meal at school in Africa with World Food Programme (WFP) supporting or implementing school meals in 40 countries on the continent.
Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology of the African Union called on the government of Zimbabwe to come up with homegrown school feeding programmes.
“It is important that more local resources are invested in developing Home Grown School Feeding, to build self-reliance and long term resilience. The academic community is also called upon to contribute to the knowledge base of school feeding to ensure optimal outcomes,” said Prof Agbor.
“The World Food Programme helps more than 26 million children receive school meals throughout Africa and we know that when those little boys and little girls go to school, they develop friendships and they also get a nutritional meal,” said Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme David Beasle.
“When we help children, we help the economy in their communities, their countries and all throughout the world,” added Beasle.
School meals have succeeded in enhancing retention while improving the performance of children in school – as well as enhancing a child’s concentration in class, they have long-term economic benefits, raising productivity throughout a lifetime.
Meanwhile, an AU review, ‘Study on Sustainable School Feeding Across the African Union’ launched at the event noted on the impact of the programme including pupil retention and concentration among other benefits.
The event, running under the theme ‘Realizing the African Child’s Full Potential through Effective Home-Grown School Feeding’ was attended by senior officials from the African Union as well as ministers, deputy ministers from Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Niger, South Sudan, and Liberia and representatives from over 30 African countries.
