80185 Main Accomplishments to Date After one year of program implementation SCHOOL MEAL and based on monitoring and mid-year program review, the SMP is referred to as a “WORRY-FREE� PROGRAM IN LAO PDR program and shows specific outcomes: School enrollment increased with more girls At a Glance going to school Children stayed longer in school to read and THE WORLD BANK GROUP study, high transition rate Improvements in nutritional status as measured The World Bank Lao PDR Country Office by Body Mass Index (BMI) Patouxay, Nehru Road Household and teacher expenses reduced Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR Stronger student - teacher - parent/community Tel: (856-21) 266200 relationships • Increased community participation, cooperation, ownership, creativity • Capacity developed in transparent cash management, monitoring, nutritional assessment, program review • Multi-sectoral linkages established particularly with key Ministries and mass organizations like Lao Women’s Union and Lao Youth Union • Local purchase of rice and other food ingredients Lessons Learned from Implementation to Date • Development of a concise, easily understood program framework provides a useful tool for operationalizing the SMP strategy • Highlighting the importance of nutrition in terms of achieving short-term results like good learning outcomes and educational targets as well as the long term goal of national socio-economic development results in better appreciation of SMP as an intervention among parents and villagers • Use of food based interventions complemented with public health interventions are important building blocks to a sustainable SMP. Implementing a comprehensive set of interventions allows for leveraging on synergies • Political commitment and good governance at all administrative levels are very important • Establishing sustainable food systems which take into account geographic as well as well as climatic conditions Ministry of Education and Sports have the potential of showing sustainable increases in food Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education Inclusive Education Center production Rue Le KyHoung, • Home-grown solutions, designed by consulting various stakeholders especially villages are Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR likely to be more accepted than top-down solutions Tel: (856 -21) 251498 • There is no one size fits all solution for a country like Lao PDR where there is so much diversity, local context should always be taken into account • Capacity-building is an important pillar in implementing any development intervention; however its effectiveness is dependent on well conducted needs assessment Photos by Bart Verweij • Community empowerment. School Meal Program in Lao PDR Since volunteers - from cooks to mobi- At a Glance lizers - are from the areas where the Background schools are located, community partici- pation and ownership are prerequisites Studies conducted in many parts of the world have shown the importance of School Meal for success. Those who see the value of Programs (SMP) as an important intervention for achieving Education for All as well as national SMP are happy to lend a hand. Many socio-economic development. School meal programs are a unique development intervention villagers, for instance, have donated that can leverage the effects of other social, health and nutrition interventions. produce from their own vegetable gardens. The Government of Lao PDR has prioritized School Meal Program as one of the key components Local knowledge and wisdom is also to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2 – Universal Education, in general and improve encouraged such as handicraft for making school enrollment, transition and survival rate as well as reduce repetition and dropout rates in eating materials using local materials, primary education, in particular. The program also contributes to promoting gender equality (MDG 3) gardening using traditional techniques by encouraging girls to go to school. etc. Since 2002, the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) through the Inclusive Education Center of the Department of Pre-primary and Primary Education and the World Food Program Apart from this, the Program focuses have been implementing School Feeding in 30 districts in the 6 provinces of Phongsaly, The Lao Model of the School Meal on building capacity of local cooks, Oudomxay, Luangnamtha, Saravan, Sekong and Attapeu, all of which have high rates of Program provincial and district technical staff on poverty. In 2012, with funding from the Global Partnership for Education, Ministry of Education basic nutrition, food safety, personal and Sports and World Food Program handed over 66 School Feeding schools to transition to The program provides a strong incentive to send School Meal Program: hygiene and environmental sanitation. the School Meal Program, implemented under the leadership and management of the children to school and keep them there and allows Intensive training of people involved is a Nutrition and Development Government of Laos. the children to focus on their studies, rather than key to the success of the program. their stomachs. Providing school meals has many The School Meal Program is anchored in the Some of the main achievements of the School Meal Program include regular school Main milestones attendance, elimination of repetition and dropout rates and improved school performance. benefits. belief that good nutrition leads to good health, Funding 2012 – Modelling phase 2 Northern which improves resistance to diseases and Specifically, there was an observed increase in net enrollment (close to reaching MoES standards) in the two model Northern Provinces of Oudomxay and Phongsaly. Proper nutrition. Volunteer cooks mostly from Provinces: Oudomxay and Phongsaly; 66 promotes good mental and physical develop- The Ministry of Education and Sports, the Lao Women’s Union are taught about the schools – representing 50% of total schools ment. As a result, children learn better and go of the Government of Lao PDR, imple- nutritional value of different types of food and how covered by School Feeding in Khoa and to school regularly. ments the School Meal Program. It is to prepare safe and varied meals, using local La districts funded by the Global Partnership for ingredients, and developing special menus. The The Program does not only provide school Education. food is hot and freshly cooked. Better nourished 2012-2014 – Expansion phase and lunch to address short-term hunger but also children are likely to learn more. alignment with GoL policies - 9 districts in promotes linkages with other school interven- 5 poor provinces: Aed, Xamtay, Viengsay, tions like access to safe water, other basic Food security. Vegetables and fruits are Houamoeng, Sopbao (Huaphan province), health and nutrition services and personal cultivated while animals are raised in the schools Xaychamphone (Bolikhamxai province), hygiene. and communities. As such, there is a steady supply Xaysanthan (Sayaboury province). Strength- of fresh food for school meals. This also helps ening of model areas and complete cover- To ensure sustainability of the School Meal boost local agriculture and supports local farmers. age of schools in La and Khoua districts Program and its impact, the program has Applying the principles of the Paris-Vientiane Declaration of Aid Effectiveness, the School The program focuses on nutritionally improved identified key factors such as integrated local Meal Program is also promoting self-reliance, program ownership and sustainability. While traditional Lao recipes. 2015 – Gradual handover of School food production (to ensure a steady supply of funds are available from donor agencies, there is increasing evidence of a sustainable strategy Feeding schools to the Ministry of Educa- varied foods for school, food security and as the communities are mobilized and take an active part in managing the various aspects of Good personal hygiene. Children are taught to tion and Sports family income), capacity-building in various the SMP. Community contributions come in the forms of rice, fresh foods, water, fuel, labour, wash their hands properly before and after meals areas like nutrition (for adequate food intake), materials for construction of rice storage, kitchen and dining facilities, seeds/seedlings and and after using the toilet. School administrators are and community participation and multi - stake- cash. encouraged to have safe water and clean toilet holder platform. facilities.