Following presentations by high-level keynote speakers and panelists, is the field trip day. On this day, attendees have the opportunity to visit area schools to see the school feeding programs in action. In years past, this trip has helped attendees get a firm grasp on the work that needs to be done so all children may get a nutritious meal while at school.

The Market Place, which will take place after the school feeding field trip, demonstrates how participating Global Forum organizations fit into the home grown school feeding model by bringing the school feeding supply chain to life. The Market Place exhibits provide a visual representation of the processes food commodities go through, from farm to plate, and creates time for networking and meeting local vendors. The Market Place was well-received last year in Nairobi and this year promises to be another successful event.

For the third year, GCNF is co-hosting the Forum with the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London.

More details to come. Stay tuned to www.gcnf.org.

*Article written by Philomena Chege

The day was September 10, 2006. Njaa Marufuku Kenya project (NMK) secretariat led by Philomena Chege had gone to Ongata naado primary school to initiate a school meals programme for the school. There was so much excitement in the air, the children were excited, the parents were excited and apprehensive at the same time. They did not believe it would happen. They had dreamt about it for so long just to see their children go to school and stay there for the whole term and maybe even the whole year and perhaps even finish primary school. It was a daunting task. You see in 2003, the Kenya Government initiated free primary education and all children were eager to go to school but going to school was one thing but keeping them there on hungry stomachs was the next big challenge. And so the parents came all in their beautiful Masai shukas and they were attentive. Eventually, the question was asked. “Are you willing to support the school meals programme for your children?” And they all thundered YEE ! Which means Yes!, and that was the beginning of a successful NMK school meals programme in Kenya.

Njaa marufuku Kenya project (NMK) is a collaborative initiative of Agriculture sector ministries together with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health. The project was started in 2005 with an aim of contributing to the reduction of poverty, hunger and food insecurity among the poor and vulnerable communities in Kenya.

The project has three components which are:

1. Support to community driven food security improvement initiatives. Under this component, farmer groups are empowered through capacity building and provision of small grants for up- scaling agricultural activities that focus on poverty reduction and income generation.
2. Support to community nutrition and school meals programmes
3. Support to private sector food security innovations. The component encourages non- governmental organisations and community based organisations to participate in poverty and food security initiatives.

Ongata Naado primary school was among the first 12 pilot schools selected in 2006 to start a school meals programme under the NMK component two. The component supports community based School Meals Programme (SMP) targeting pupils from poor homes with the aim of improving their nutrition status, class attendance and performances.  Schools are selected from medium potential areas where there is potential to grow food and therefore these schools become an entry point for disseminating agricultural technologies to increase agricultural productivity and enhance food security. The intervention also creates micro-markets for the community around the schools. This component has three approaches, namely, community-supported SMP; community nutrition education and awareness; and mother/child health and nutrition programmes. So far the project has funded 68 schools in different parts of the country.

Before the schools meals programme, enrolment, retention and completion rates were very low especially for girls. An increase in enrolment for girls is significant because the Masai being a pastoralist community, girls get married off early. Indeed by the age of 15 those not enrolled in schools or have dropped out of school are easily married off.

In Ongata Naado School, girl’s enrolment increased from 54 from the year 2006 when we started to 342 by the year 2011 which was remarkable. The mean score (a performance indicator) improved which meant that more pupils were able to transit to high school and eventually university.  Since then, other stakeholders have come on board to facilitate the school and now the school has a boarding dormitory for girls, a dining facility and a borehole supplying the school with water. The boarding facility has helped the school retain girls up to completion and this is a big step for us and the community.  The boarding project is a community initiative and has a capacity to accommodate 150 girls but the challenge has been equipping the dormitory because all facilities are donated by the community and well- wishers. It is their wish that one day they will accommodate the whole school both boys and girls.

School enrolment

Together with the school community, NMK has helped the school develop a 23 acre farm which acts as a demonstration farm for technology transfer to the community as well as producing food for the school. A solar power line was erected around the school garden and the boarding facility to keep away the elephants from the pupils and the farm. This has encouraged more pupils to enrol in the boarding facility.

When GCNF held their annual meeting in Nairobi Kenya in May 2011, one of the groups visited the school and donated some mattresses for the girls’ dormitory which was highly appreciated by the community. Subsequently, one participant’s daughter,  Eve Neely, was touched by the plight and determination of the girls and when she went back home to the USA, she managed to fund-raise $1,000  which will go a long way in equipping the dormitory with eight double decker beds  which will  accommodate sixteen more girls in the school. Such a noble action by Eve will ensure sixteen girls are facilitated to reach their full potential, perhaps excel in their future careers instead of early marriages. Kudos to Eve!

To celebrate the life’s work of three individuals who have made outstanding contributions to end child hunger and advance school feeding around the world, over 500 individuals came together from local and international non-profit organizations, industry, and government entities on Monday, March 5, 2012. During the Global Child Nutrition Foundation’s annual “A Possible Dream” Gala, Ambassador Tony P. Hall was honored as the ninth recipient of the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition; additionally, 2011 SNA Director of the Year Lyman Graham and 2011 SNA Industry Member of the Year Tony Roberts were honored for their dedication to national child hunger issues.

The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center was the backdrop for an evening fueled by the desire to alleviate childhood hunger around the globe. Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator, spoke on the importance of school feeding programs and the Feed the Future initiative of USAID.

As the ceremony began, Gene White, GCNF President, announced the record breaking total raised for the “A Possible Dream” Gala of $365,000 with an additional $60,000 raised for the Global Child Nutrition Forum, which will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May 2012.

Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Ambassador of the US Mission to UN Agencies in Rome and incoming WFP Executive Director, flew from Rome to help honor Ambassador Hall. During her remarks, she noted the importance of school feeding programs around the world by saying, “we, in this room and all our UN partners, must continue to invest in interventions to reduce the sort of chronic and acute under-nutrition that I have seen around the world.” In tribute to Ambassador Hall receiving the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award, Ambassador Cousin also proclaimed, “I am honored and humbled to have followed in his distinguished footsteps as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies.  A few years have gone by, but Tony’s name still evokes praise in the halls of IFAD, the World Food Program, and the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.”

2011 Global Child Nutrition Forum Speaker and 2012 Winston Policy Scholar, Philomena Chege, mentioned the impact SNA’s Legislative Action Conference had on her future work. “I have learned it is important to engage the local leadership … so when I get home I will do just that.” Philomena also added, “a hungry child cannot learn, they cannot exploit their potential. I urge you to join hands with us to curtail this problem.”

The evening program continued as two child nutrition leaders were recognized by School Nutrition Association President, Helen Phillips: Lyman Graham, as the 2011 SNA Director of the Year, and Tony Roberts, as the 2011 SNA Industry Member of the Year. These gentlemen have held long careers in furthering the health and well-being of children across the United States through their work in national school meal programs.

The Honorable Dan Glickman presented Ambassador Hall with the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award. As Ambassador Hall accepted the award, he quoted Mother Teresa and noted her as inspiration in his efforts to alleviate childhood hunger. “What we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” Ambassador Hall continued by saying, “when programs effectively reduce absenteeism and increase the duration of schooling, educational outcomes improve across the board … Eliminating the scourge of childhood hunger is not something any of us can do alone. We need all hands on deck if we’re going to succeed in this.”

Anita Brikman, of WUSA Channel 9 News Now, gracefully ushered the evening’s program as the emcee.

This memorable event is held annually and raises both awareness and funds for GCNF’s efforts to combat global child hunger through sustainable school feeding programs. GCNF is grateful to the many sponsors and donors who came together to raise even more funding than in years past.

For more Gala coverage, visit:

http://www.gcnf.org/media-3/press/

http://usunrome.usmission.gov/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Julie Burke

301.686.3133

gcnf@schoolnutrition.org

February 27, 2012

The Global Child Nutrition Foundation to Host Gala Event, Mon. March 5

Amb. Tony Hall, Exec. Dir. of the Alliance to End Hunger, to be honored.

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD –  The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) is pleased to announce the 9^th annual “A Possible Dream” Gala to be held on Monday, March 5, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The evening will honor champion of global child nutrition, Ambassador Tony P. Hall, Executive Director of the Alliance to End Hunger.

Distinguished guests and speakers scheduled to attend are: Ambassador Tony P. Hall, Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, Dr. Rajiv Shah, and the Honorable Dan Glickman. Anita Brikman of WUSA 9 News Now will emcee.

The annual “A Possible Dream” Gala honors outstanding champions of child nutrition. Each year, three awards are granted: the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition; the School Nutrition Association (SNA) Industry Member of the Year; and the SNA Director of the Year. Over 500 executives come together—from industry, SNA, international NGOs, the U.S. Congress, USAID, USDA, and other key agencies working to reduce hunger—to network and exchange ideas. The Gala raises awareness of global hunger and helps GCNF to build sustainable school feeding programs in developing countries.

The Gala is to be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC from 7:00 – 9:00pm EST. For additional information please visit www.gcnf.org, or contact Julie Burke at 301.686.3133 or  gcnf@schoolnutrition.org.

GCNF is a USA based, 501 (c) (3) international foundation dedicated to helping countries develop and operate sustainable school feeding programs. Established in 2006 as the international arm of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), GCNF provides technical assistance and training to support the development of community-based school feeding programs that respond to nutritional needs of children, local cultures and community values. The GCNF Board of Directors, representing both domestic and international leaders in child nutrition, provides global perspective and policy guidance for directing resources to most effectively assist countries with policy and program development.

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Media Advisory 2012

More information and a recording of the panel discussion can be found at: foodsecurity.dupont.com.

To read the current issue, please visit: http://www.alliancetoendhunger.org/pressroom/documents/2012FirstIssueFinal.pdf

Solae

25,000 – 49,999

American Peanut Council INC. MAP
Schwan’s Food Service, Inc.
Tetra Pak Inc.

10,000 – 24,999

AdvancePierre Foods
American Beverage Association
Land O’ Lakes, Inc.
Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association
Monsanto Company
School-Link Technologies
SFSPac Food Service Sanitation Systems
TCE Consulting Group, Inc.
West Star Foundation
Winston Industries
World Food Program USA
World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH)

5,000 – 9,999

AGRA
Georgia SNA
Grocery Manufacturers Association
Heather Podesta + Partners, LLC
International Dairy Foods Association
Kraft Foods
Mars Foodservice / MasterFoodServices
MilkPEP
National Restaurant Association
Nestle Waters North America
Nestle, USA
NUTRIKIDS
PepsiCo Foodservice
Rich Products Corp.
School Nutrition Association
The Coca-Cola Company
The Father’s Table
US Chamber of Commerce

1,000 – 4,999

Alabama School Nutrition Association
American Frozen Food Institute
American Meat Institute
Barilla America, Inc.
Barbara S. Belmont
Bockorny Group
Catholic Relief Services – USCCB
Congressional Hunger Center
Counterpart International
Cybersoft PrimeroEdge
Dewey Square
Don Lee Farms
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group
General Mills Foundation
Goddard Claussen
Indiana SNA
International Relief & Development
J&J Snack Foods Corp.
J.M. Smucker Company
JAM – Mozambique
Karen A. Johnson
JTM Food Group
Kentucky SNA
KeyImpact Sales & Systems
Marlin Network, Inc.
MassGeneral Hospital for Children
Marshall L. Matz
Penny E. McConnell, MS,RD
Midwest Venture Partners
National Confectioners Association
Rich Family Foundation
SNA of Arizona
SNA of Iowa
SNA of Massachusetts
Snack Food Association
T. Furr & Associates Sales and Marketing
Tasty Brands
Tetra Pak Iran
The Tony Roberts Company
Tyson Foods, Inc.
Gene White
Wolf Search Solutions
World Food Programme Ethiopia

500 – 999

Shirley Brown
Flower Power Fundraising
Richmond County School Nutrition Association
Stacy Sagowitz
Marcia L. Smith
SNV Netherlands Development Organization
Sodexo
Roger Szemraj
Tetra Pak West Africa Limited
Janey K. Thornton
USDA/FAS
UTC Retail
World Food Programme Malawi
World Food Programme Rwanda

250 – 499

Edward Cooney
Anne B. Gennings
Amy Huff
SNA of Virginia

100 – 249

ASAE
Ruth Ann Bennett
Catherine Bertini
Brian Bresnahan
Diane M. Edwards
Eighth District Georgia School Nutrition Association
Stanley C. Garnett
Ken Hartman
Vanessa Hayes
Abby Kassman-Harned
Michael Lobato
Janta Marshall
Elizabeth P. McPherson
Nancy M. Miura
Chris Neal
Susan K. Neely
Oregon SNA
Marjorie Sando
Stevie Shuchart
Tenth District Georgia School Food Service
Washington SNA

1 – 99

Julia O. Bauscher
Thelma L. Becker
Peggy Blankenship, CAE
Cindy Brooks
Evansville School Nutrition Associaiton
Jody Houston
Ruth D. Miller
Precision Foods, Inc
Alice Jo Rainville
JoAnne L. Robinett
Sara Simmerman
William Sullivan
Ritika Uppal
Jane T. Wynn

One hungry child in the world is one hungry child too many.  In this current economic climate, millions more children are now at risk, in addition to the 350 million already identified by the World Food Programme. GCNF works to end child hunger by establishing and maintaining school feeding programs in developing countries.

You have the power to make it possible for all children, especially girls, to attend school. Join us and make your sponsorship pledge now to help alleviate their hunger; improve their ability to learn; and motivate their parents to send them to school.

If you have any questions regarding sponsorship opportunities, please contact Nicole Bernard at NBernard@schoolnutrition.org or call 301.686.3150. If you cannot attend the Gala, please make a contribution to GCNF by clicking the “Donate” button. We greatly appreciate your support and look forward to working together to advance our vision of living in a world in which hunger is not a barrier to children learning.

School Feeding to be Given Higher Priority in Cameroon

Cameroon Government to Copy, Implement Plan Elsewhere

In the remote village of Tadu in Northwest Cameroon, the approximately 5,000 inhabitants Mbororo people and others with poverty, malnutrition and low school enrollment rates, especially among girls.

Conditions began to change in 2009 through an innovative program that is part of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s McGovern-Dole Food for Education project, which is implemented by the nonprofit Counterpart International. The three-year project promotes and supports school feeding activities as a means of encouraging school enrollment and attendance in rural communities.

“Our children previously left for school hungry and often crying. But now they are eager for each new school day to begin. Their happiness makes us proud and very happy to cook for them,” said a volunteer cook at Tadu’s government-run primary school.

The main components of the project include school feeding, take-home rations, health and nutrition education, growth monitoring, building school gardens and the refurbishment of onsite facilities, such as school latrines and kitchens, which needed to be updated to carry out program activities effectively.

In only two years, it has had dramatic results:

• Today, 24,100 students are benefiting from the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program in Cameroon
• The number of those benefitting from the program increased nearly 78 percent from the baseline figures
• It has provided about 6 million hot meals to students
• Increased student attendance by 4.8 percent for girls and 4.3 percent for boys
• Increased student promotion rate from 74 percent to 88.1 percent
• Increased the number of beneficiary schools from 50 to 87 through the local production of 103.5 metric tons of food from school gardens, which also led to a decreased dependence on imported commodities

The success of Counterpart’s program in the Northwest region of the country has been very highly praised.

In June 2011, Tadu welcomed a delegation from the Management Committee comprised of staff from the World Food Program (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Cameroon’s Ministry of Basic Education. They were welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of some 1,000 community members and school children upon arrival at Tadu’s government-run primary school.

During their visit, the delegation visited the village’s school garden and the almost 1.5 hectare school farm, where food commodities like maize, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages and other vegetables are cultivated to supplement U.S.-donated commodities of rice, beans and vegetable oil.

The school gardens and farms also serve as outdoor laboratories for lessons on environmental education and agriculture, which ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. The gardens have generated additional income for the school through the sale of produce. The money generated is used to support other school activities.

The visiting delegation had the chance to see the school’s 24 square meter food storage area, which stores both imported and locally cultivated food commodities. The school’s updated and well-equipped kitchen, which was specially designed to conserve energy by using less wood fuel, is another example of the improvements made under the MGD project.

Besides improving facilities at the school, the project also provided community members with training so that they could effectively manage the new facilities.

“Before we did not know how to prepare food for such a large number of people, but with the training given to us by the project’s health and nutrition staff,” said one participant when asked how the wider community had benefitted from the school feeding program. “We are now invited whenever there is a major occasion in the village and paid to cook for visiting dignitaries.”

The delegation then watched the children eating their school lunch of rice, beans and vegetables. After lunch, there was a working session where parents and teachers exchanged experiences and ideas about the project, the management of the school gardens, the new skills and hygiene and sanitation practices acquired through the project.

“We had heard so much about this program during our various meetings with partners in Yaounde, what we have witnessed here today, is simply marvelous,” said Richard Temfack, Coordinator of the WFP/FAO Management Committee.

The visitors were impressed by the overall level of participation, not just of the school staff and children, but also the participation of parents and the wider community.

“We have learned a lot from you and shall carry your example elsewhere,” said the leader of the delegation, Madam Alice Montheu. She promised that given the enthusiasm shown by the community in supporting their children’s health and education, she will encourage the Ministry of Basic Education to personally visit the project and provide further infrastructural support to the school.

As a result of this visit, the Minister of Basic Education has already indicated that school feeding will be given high priority in Cameroon’s forthcoming National Education Forum.

As a direct result of GCNF’s technical assistance provided during the annual Global Forum, Mali’s government leaders worked with the Ministry of Education and other agencies in 2009 to draft a national policy that included a five-year plan for 3,000 government-assisted school canteens. In November 2009 the Council of Ministers committed to a five-year plan, strengthening and extending the school feeding program financed by national and territorial governments, technical and financial partners. At the 2010 Forum in Ghana, delegates reported successful collaborations and the impressive fact that 15.4 percent of school children are now receiving meals during the school day.

The Gala is attended by over 500 executives from our most supportive industries, School Nutrition Association officers and directors, and high level government and NGO officials. The highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the prestigious Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition to Ambassador Tony P. Hall, Executive Director, Alliance to End Hunger. In addition, GCNF will honor the School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) Industry Member of the Year, Tony Roberts, Proprietor of the Tony Roberts Company and SNA’s Outstanding Director of the Year, Lyman Graham, Director, Roswell Independent School District, Carlsbad Municipal Schools and Dexter Consolidated Schools, New Mexico.

School feeding programs provide nourishment to impoverished children who are then encouraged to attend school, are alert while they are in school, and through their education, go on to become self-sufficient, contributing citizens in their countries. Please join us once again as we honor the champions of child nutrition on Monday, March 5, 2012.

* Please view the Press Release for more information.