Why we should invest in school feeding projects

 

Gracel Oyie, a cook at Naserian Osupuko primary school in Narok county serves pupils porridge during lunchtime break and ensures that no one misses out. [Collins Oduor, Standard]

School feeding programmes are an important part of any developing nation’s plan for economic growth. Kenya should be no exception.

Various agencies put the figure of Kenyan children under 5 years suffering from stunted growth at 26 per cent. The impact is obvious. Stunted growth affects brain development, which affects learning and future productivity.

According to the World Bank, Kenya has a human capital score of 0.55 per cent, which means a Kenyan child is likely to achieve only half of his potential. This is immense when extrapolated nationally because then Kenya would have wasted half of its potential in human resources due to stunted growth and undernutrition.

In the Cost of Hunger Report (COHA) launched in 2019, in areas that lead in incidences of undernutrition, only three out of 10 learners that enroll in grade one progress to form four. The effects stretch beyond their mental capacities. Undernourished children tend to also experience more health complications as they grow up, thus increasing the mortality rate.

Counties that have initiated school feeding programmes can attest to increased enrolment and retention of school-going children. Nairobi County, for instance, has initiated the Dishi na County school feeding programme, where parents pay Sh5 per plate. While Nairobi does not feature among the counties most affected by stunted growth and undernutrition, it has a population with unique struggles. It is home to the largest slum population, where people struggle with the most basic needs. The cost of living is high, and so is the crime rate.

Even without access to school enrolment statistics, I know of kids who always struggled to keep up with the school calendar, particularly from Kibra. I can bet the story is the same in other counties where similar programmes are being implemented.

School feeding programmes are thus an equaliser that enables dreams one plate at a time. For some beneficiaries, the meal could be the only sure one they have for the day.

However, some minor things must be rectified. For most of the counties, the programmes only target formal public schools. The reality is there is a good number of pupils who opt for low-cost private schools, mostly in slums. These too would appreciate being part of the feeding programmes.

Schools that have big chunks of land should take advantage of them and create model farms from where they can both feed and educate their learners and, by extension, the community.

Again, the government should come up with a unified model that will see the projects implemented within an acceptable range of cost across all schools in Kenya. More importantly, a lot of care must be taken into what goes into a plate of food. The meal must be balanced and provide all basic nutrients for the healthy development of a child. Where possible, nutrient-rich porridge should be a part of the programme for ECD centres.

The writer is a communications consultant. [e-mail]