Students are having lunch at Alduba Primary School in southern Ethiopia, in a school that receives support from the WFP's school feeding program.
The Southern Region has long faced a series of natural and man-made challenges that have adversely impacted the well-being and development of its communities. To combat these challenges and strenghthen the region's resilience, the implementation of a school feeding program emerged as a key strategy. This initiative was not only designed to improve the nutritional status of students but also to enhance their educational outcomes, thereby strengthening the broader socio-economic framework. Last year with the support of the regional government, the World Food Programme (WFP), and other crucial partners, the school feeding program was successfully launched in 373 schools across 27 woredas, benefiting over 175,000 students. The WFP played a pivotal role, providing budgetary support that reached more than 84,000 students in 229 schools across 10 woredas in 5 zones last year .
For the current semester, WFP is supporting 237 schools across 10 project woredas—namely Male, Selam Ago, Dasenech, Nyangatom, Hamer, Segen Zuria, Uba Debre Tsehaye, Ale, Garda Martha, and Geze Gofa—reaching a total of 86,863 students, of whom 41,188 are female.To implement the school feeding program, WFP procured 772.8 metric tons of food from four cooperative unions: South Omo, Hidota, Milata, and EsipeDicaha. The food items include a wheat and sorghum blended flour, haricot beans, rice, vegetable oil, and salt. In addition to providing staple foods, WFP is working to diversify school meals by including fresh foods in the menu. This effort is further complemented by support for school gardens, which contribute to the supply of fresh produce. WFP also procures food from Cooperative unions and plays a role in indirectly supporting smallholder farmers, as many of them are members of the participating cooperative unions.
Furthermore, WFP contributes to t
