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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.

Country/region Topic Period Budget
Laos
Health
Water
Agriculture & food security
nothemedefined
Basic nutrition
Water sanitation
Agricultural development
01.10.2024 - 30.09.2026
 CHF  979’000
The project in brief
Background 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.
Objectives

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.
Target groups

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.
Medium-term outcomes
  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.
Results

Expected results:  

  • 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.


Results from previous phases:   N/A


Directorate/federal office responsible SDC
Project partners Contract partner
United Nations Organization (UNO)
  • World Food Programme

Implementing partner
WFP

Coordination with other projects and actors SDC: LURAS, ENUFF, VTESS
Budget Current phase Swiss budget CHF    979’000 Swiss disbursement to date CHF    792’000 Total project since first phase Swiss budget CHF   0 Budget inclusive project partner CHF   979’000
  • Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation HEALTH
    WATER SUPPLY & SANITATION
    AGRICULTURE
    Sub-Sector according to the OECD Developement Assistance Commitiee categorisation
    Basic nutrition
    Basic sanitation
    Agricultural development
    Aid Type Project and programme contribution
    Project number

    7F11460

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Last update 30.07.2024