| Project Detail |
Tsogolo la Thanzi (TSOLATA) – Healthy Future Achieving Sustainable School Meals Programme in Malawi, World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) contract
To increase the use of enhanced nutrition knowledge, hygiene and sanitation practices of targeted households as well as intake of nutritious food of primary school learners (linked to AFIKEPO Specific Objective 2)
To improve availability of safe and nutritious food for households participating in the school meals programme (linked to AFIKEPO Specific Objective 1).
To strengthen national capacity in design and implementation of sustainable national school meals programme and improved coordination of School Health and Nutrition interventions (linked to AFIKEPO Specific Objective 3).
Main Outcomes
Primary school learners and households in targeted communities are applying better nutrition, hygiene and sanitation practices and learners have increased intake of nutritious food;
Smallholder farmers participating in Home-Grown School Meals have increased knowledge and capacity in production of diversified nutritious crops, as well as increased access to markets;
Government staff have increased capacity to design and implement a sustainable national school meals programme.
Implementation Status
The contract has completed more than 24 months of implementation up to date. The end date to carry out activities will be 31 August 2023. Overall, the programme is on track and is expected to achieve over 95% of the objectives.
The project is working closely and in collaboration with the School Health and Nutrition Department of the Ministry of Education in Malawi. The project aims at promoting the nutrition and health status of 280,000 (now 306,068) learners, in 200 (now 2016) primary schools, through provision of diversified school meals using the home-grown school feeding (HGSF) model by sourcing diversified food commodities locally from smallholder farmers.
Through this EU funded project, 216 primary schools are providing a key market for smallholder farmers from within the surrounding community, with purchases taking place 200 days/year. This has allowed smallholder farmers who are providing food to engage in crop diversification and plan their sales over the course of the academic year. This has created a periodic stable market for the farmers involved, contributing to the boost of local agriculture, and increasing the value chain diversification. Ultimately, the project is contributing to strengthening local food systems.
The following main achievements should be recognized since implementation began in 2020:
Daily provision of diversified school meals, from locally sourced foods, in 216 primary schools. The project emerged successfully from the effects and impact of COVID 19 since its commencement in 2020. Resumption of school feeding in schools took place from October 2021.
To increase knowledge and practices of various committee and community members, teachers as well as learners, a number of nutrition sensitive interventions are conducted, including: Development of menus/recipes; Cooking demonstrations targeting food committees and surrounding community members; Establishment of orchards and vegetable gardens; Productive school environment related activities such as water and soil conservation, landscaping and planting of moringa trees; Establishment of woodlots; Production and airing of jingles on nutrition messaging in community radio stations; Painting of murals in schools; Formation/revamping of school clubs to assess functionality of nutrition clubs in schools implementing HGSF; Trainings were conducted to reactivate and strengthen school nutrition clubs; Care group sessions, community meetings and village promoters sharing information at schools and communities, with the aim of strengthening nutrition linkages and integration between schools and communities. |
