WFP enhances National School Feeding Programme in Tunisia

The World Food Programme (WFP) provides capacity-strengthening activities aimed at enhancing the Government-run National School Feeding Programme (NSFP) that reaches 260,000 children (125,000 girls and 135,000 boys) in 2,500 primary schools, reads a report of the WFP.

The budget for national school feeding doubled in 2019, reaching USD 16 million per year. USD 1.7 million were allocated by the Tunisian Government for the construction and equipment of a pilot central kitchen and development of a School Food Bank, the report said.

Last June, the WFP’s five cooperating partners carried out activities in their respective primary schools in the governorates of Ariana, Nabeul and Zaghouan, as part of the celebrations of the end of the school year, in cooperation with WFP and the school teachers. Over the course of the school year, children and parents learned about healthy eating habits and the importance of adding fruits and vegetables to their diet. The learning activities were based on the practical guide for hygiene and nutrition developed by WFP and the National Institute of Nutrition in Tunis.

On 15 June, the WFP and the international NGO CEFA Tunisia (Comité Européen pour la Formation et l’Agriculture Tunisie, European Committee for Training and Agriculture) signed a Field Level Agreement (FLA) with the objective of revitalizing school gardens in 9 schools in the Kairouan (6) and Kasserine (3) governorates. The project aims to strengthen links between the meals being served in schools and local agricultural production, contributing to enhancing resilience in the targeted communities.

Besides, the WFP finalized the assessment of more than 30 local NGOs who applied to a request for proposals launched in April 2019. Discussions have started regarding the selection of school sites and signature of FLAs for the revitalization of school gardens with some of the potential cooperating partners, the WFP report indicates.

As part of the WFP Tunisia Gender Transformative Plan (GTP), and as stipulated in the WFP Tunisia gender improvement plan, WFP liaised with the Ministry of Education’s Office of School Services (OOESCO) to discuss the development of an agreement with a Tunisian women’s rights organization to conduct a field assessment to analyze gender stereotypes and existing practices in school feeding. The selected partner will develop training sessions and tools aiming to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. The trainings will target different stakeholders participating in the school feeding programme at central, regional and school level, over the 2019-2021 period.

TunisianMonitorOnline (WFP)

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