Education Health

Namibia: WFP and Partners Celebrate Progress of Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in Namibia

Ajao Joseph094 views

The objective of this school-centred project focuses on healthy diets, productive & efficient practices to deliver affordable food within an integrated food systems approach. The Stampriet School Integrated Food Systems Project was implemented in December 2021 with the support of a service provider – Gemini Poultry, who played a key role in overseeing the effective implementation of the project, while facilitating capacity building of the teachers and community members involved in the project. Since its implementation, the project planted various vegetables such as butternuts, spinach, beetroots, squash, and tomatoes which led to harvesting over 600kgs produce, respectively. Two coup production sites with a capacity of 500 chickens each were set up, drip-irrigation pipes were installed, and the project was also fenced off to ensure safety and security. The project was introduced to diversify the school meals and partially sell to supermarkets, individual buyers, and local farmers’ markets. The project has earned a revenue of NAD 27,000 (USD 1,500) through the combined sales of chicken and vegetables. The funds were deposited into a corporate bank account for Stampriet school and are managed by a steering committee of 3 parents and 3 teachers. When a group of neighbours joins together to organise, build, and manage an Integrated Community-based Food System Project, they are bringing an impressive array of benefits to their community. WFP in collaboration with Hardap Regional Council is supporting the upscaling of the Stampriet Integrated Community Farm to Fork School Project in the Hardap Region. The initiative is a flagship of the WFP three pillars approach (Food systems Rural Transformation and Human Capital) which is well aligned to national priorities. The project is school- community based and will adopt an integrated approach to address poverty, food, and nutrition insecurity.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture (MoEAC) and the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil recently visited the Stampriet Combined School in the Hardap region of Namibia, to assess the progress made since the launch of the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) and School-Based Integrated Food Systems Project in 2021. The Stampriet project, supported by the Government of Namibia and Republic of Brazil, has yielded remarkable outcomes since its establishment. The school now produces approximately 5 000 chicken eggs monthly, a variety of nutritious vegetables and fully funds the salaries of two gardeners from the sale of fresh produce and poultry products. Each week, learners spend time in the vegetable gardens and hen houses thereby broadening their understanding of agriculture, business, and economics, through firsthand learning.

During the visit, Hon. Faustina Caley, Deputy Minister of MoEAC expressed her support for the initiative and commended the progress made so far. “I want to see this successful project scaled up to more schools across the country so they too can reap the same benefits,” she said. Hon. Caley also highlighted that this model of school feeding not only supports education but also generates income for schools and adds value to communities through capacity development and food accessibility.

Local supermarkets and hotels puirchase fresh produce and eggs from the project and in addition to learners enjoying healthy school meals, surplus produce is donated to the community soup kitchen.

H.E. Vivian Loss Sanmartin, Ambassador of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Namibia, expressed her enthusiasm for the project and highlighted “the results are impressive and are proof that much can be done with the right technical support and clear goals.” Ambassador Sanmartin further committed Brazil’s continued support towards achieving food and nutrition security in Namibia.

“Our collective efforts have enabled WFP to transform the lives and futures of these school going children,” said Ericah Shafudah, WFP Deputy Country Director in Namibia. “Beyond receiving a diverse and nutritious meal every day, these children learn about food systems, some parents are employed at the project, others have received horticultural training, and families arrive daily to purchase fresh and healthy vegetables for their households.”

Ambassador Jeroboam Shaanika, the Deputy Executive Director (Multilateral Affairs) at the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of all parties and recognized the crucial role that school meals play in shaping children’s futures, highlighting their transformative impact on long term development.

The Home-Grown School Feeding Programme in Namibia has significantly impacted the lives of local learners. Currently active in seven regions, it provides healthy meals to 11 000 children across twenty-nine schools, enhancing their education, health, and overall nutrition outcomes.

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