Advocacy for the School Feeding in Bangladesh 

Under the leadership of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) has taken the initiative to implement Advocacy for School Feeding in Bangladesh. CAMPE conducted a Stakeholder Mapping Exercise for this initiative to understand better the gaps, challenges, and opportunities for pursuing nationwide school feeding programmes, including home-grown school meals. The exercise tried to discover the different dimensions of school feeding/meals, current and potential interventions, and stakeholders, including institutions, groups, and individuals who contribute to moving the school meal agenda forward, considering the National School Meal Policy 2019. 

In line with the approved policy, the ministry prepared a proposal to provide school meals to all children by 2023. The national committee recognizes the importance and relevance of the school feeding program but finds it highly optimistic. The committee asked the ministry to revise the proposed project to make it more realistic and sustainable.

 Given this guidance, the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education (MoPME) has extended the school feeding project up to June 23022, while making necessary revisions to the new proposal. To ensure that the new government project task adequately considers nutrition requirements and scaling up the project coverage calls for Increased advocacy among various stakeholders to bring consciousness. The involvement of high-level decision-makers, academia, research institutes, influential non-government decision-makers, civil society, and mass media must collectively advocate for a school-feeding agenda. Therefore, WFP proposes involving NGOs to assist in the advocacy efforts to create the enabling environment necessary to move the school feeding agenda forward. 

Anticipated Coverage

-        Across Bangladesh

-        Potential primary and secondary stakeholders in Dhaka and divisional cities and districts will cover the program. Local-level member organizations of CAMPE will be involved in organising events outside Dhaka as and when required. 

Specific Objectives

• To effectively move the school feeding agenda forward, WFP seeks an NGO to undertake advocacy activities to ensure the engagement of relevant high-level decision-makers and stakeholders in Bangladesh.
• Advocacy efforts should focus on building awareness for school meals and removing food and nutrition gaps the most vulnerable schoolchildren face.
• The advocacy message should be aligned with the approved policy and the latest available data on the importance of school feedings as part of a comprehensive reopening framework for schools considering the COVID-19 school closure.
• The NGO will engage in advocacy activities designed to educate, motivate, and inspire stakeholders. 

Expected Outputs

OUTLINE OF ADVOCACY SUPPORT TO WFP

The primary audience for school feeding advocacy comprises relevant Government officials, including high-level decision-makers, civil society, influential non-government decision-makers, and philanthropists. 

The NGO will undertake the following activities.

• Conduct a mapping exercise to understand better gaps, Challenges, and opportunities that school meals.
• Identify the key audience for advocating school feeding. Who are we trying to reach, and why?
• Consult with staff and management across WFP and external partners to better understand the needs. Capacities and perceptions that are critical to school feedings.
• Support the outreach to key stakeholders by WFP to further the school feeding agenda. 

KEY DELIVERABLES

• A plan, including the timeline. For proposed school feeding advocacy activities.
• Mapping of high-level school feeding stakeholders and ways to engage them.
• Organise consultations, workshops, and Discussions for Advocacy outreach on the school feeding agenda, including revision and approval of the new DPP of the primary school feeding project.
• Produce workshop and high-level meeting reports for WFP with actionable next steps and recommendations.
• Host media events. i.e. roundtable discussions or webinars. to engage relevant high-level stakeholders in consultation with WFP.
• WFP must approve all deliverables. 

Bangladesh has one of the largest primary education systems in the world, with 20.55 million learners (51.21% girls) providing education through 114,539 primary-level educational institutions, of which the government runs 65565. The government provides free and compulsory primary education up to grade five, free textbooks for all and school feeding in selected areas. Notable progress has been made in the education sector, including achieving gender parity in access to primary education. However, we must go a long way regarding nutrition and food security. 

WFP data shows that School feeding programmes increase enrolment by an average of 9 per cent. In addition, for every 100,000 school meals, 1,700 jobs were created. Studies have also shown that for every US$ 1 invested in school meals, US$ 9 is yielded in economic returns. In Bangladesh, both the biscuit-based school feeding programme and the cooked meal programme improved school enrolment by 14.2 percent and reduced the probability of dropouts by 7.5 percent. The prevalence of anaemia in schools with feeding programmes was less than half that of schools without (10.9 percent versus 21.9 percent, respectively). 

The food support to students through schools in Bangladesh, known as the School Feeding Program (SFP), traces its origins back to the early 1970s, aiming to improve attendance and academic performance by providing meals to school children. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) played a crucial role, collaborating with the government since the 1970s to support and expand the program. Over time, numerous organizations, including UNICEF, FAO, and local non-governmental organizations, joined forces to enhance the program's quality and extend its reach. A government-administered food-for-education program was launched in 1993 to help improve school enrolment and attendance for poverty-stricken families. The first fortification started with the vitamin and mineral-enriched biscuits for children under the School Feeding Program in 2001, supported by WFP. The Bangladesh Primary Education Development Program (PEDP) emerged as a significant platform for integrating school feeding into broader education development strategies, becoming an integral part of national policies and plans. Community-based organisations, local NGOs, and initiatives like Hunger Free World and BRAC have significantly contributed to addressing hunger and improving nutrition through school meal programs, reflecting a collective commitment to nourishing children and promoting education across Bangladesh. 

In the previous phase, the "School Feeding" project successfully supported over 2.9 million students in 15,470 government primary schools across 104 upazilas spanning 35 districts. The government of Bangladesh now intends to expand the initiative, aiming to encompass approximately 150 Upazilas within the school feeding program, benefiting around 5 million learners in government primary schools.

Project Completion Report