SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM
Burkina Faso: in activity
Niger: Project completed in 2014
By providing school meals, school canteens help foster a real desire to go to school, and improve academic achievement for all students, especially those traveling greater distances.
Initially in partnership with the Paul Gerin-Lajoie Foundation, school canteens were set up in the Wona A and B schools to allow 600 children and their teachers to have a meal provided every day, five days a week. In 2012, the SEMAFO Foundation extended the project to the Bana A and B schools in Burkina Faso and in 2013 to the College of Bossey Bangou in Niger. As of June 30, 2013, the Foundation has served nearly 539,650 meals. For these children, it is often the only meal of the day. It is composed of fatty rice or rice with a sauce, beans or cowpeas mixed with rice or couscous. Tô with sauce is also served. Beyond the impact on health through a regular and balanced diet, it also serves to encourage students to attend school regularly, thus increasing school attendance. Indeed, in 2013, Wona A school recorded the highest number of students since its inception in 1962. This year, the village of Wona recorded the highest enrolment in the region and the highest success rate in examinations of the Department.
To empower the school canteens, SEMAFO Foundation set up collective fields to produce locally the cereals to supply the canteens. The Foundation has provided training, tools and the fertilizers needed. These canteens also helped boost the local economy, to hire and train 6 cooks, and strengthen community and parents’ participation in school management. To this end and in order to sustain school canteens, SEMAFO Foundation funded a Support Programme for Schools Management Committees (PACOGES) whose goal is to make community active players in the development at the heart of the education system. Thus, the community itself is obliged to develop a spirit of mutual support and solidarity to effectively apply the activities of their school’s action plans. More than 60 teachers and community leaders, members of SMCs from 23 schools in areas of Kona and Yaho were trained. Since 2014-2015, the Foundation support the project through the formation of COGES (Comité de Gestion d’École), APE (Association des Parents d’Élèves), AME (Association des Mères Éducatrices) and the donation of some food (see detail in COGES project).
- 10 schools received food donations in 2015-2016
- Nearly 3,000 people benefited from the project (2015-2016)
- Number of meals served 2009-2015: 539,632
- 8 schools received food donations in 2014-2015
- 57,632 meals served in Burkina Faso and in Niger in 2013-2014
- 5 canteens (1 Niger, 4 Burkina Faso) in 2013-2014
- 138,364 meals served in Burkina Faso in 2012-2013 to more than 1,500 children and teachers
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