GCNF is finalizing the school feeding curriculum that will be used to train trainers in the Benguela Province of Angola. This curriculum is one of two major technical assistance activities GCNF is implementing as a sub-recipient to Joint Aid Management (JAM) on the four-year McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
The curriculum will be a valuable tool for trainers who instruct local community members and PTA representatives on its proper use. Key content areas include: how to be a good trainer; the role of PTAs in school feeding; procurement, receipt, storage, and inventory management; benefits of school feeding; monitoring and evaluation; and food safety and personal hygiene. By using a combination of classroom lectures and interactive demonstrations, trainers will understand how to best transfer information to the local stakeholders responsible for supporting school feeding activities.
Penny E. McConnell, Director, Food and Nutrition Services, Fairfax County Public Schools, and GCNF Board member, was responsible for leading the curriculum’s development. The following individuals also provided important input: Dr. Yibo Wood, Global Coordinator, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA; Joanne K. Kinsey, Director of School Nutrition Services, Chesapeake Public Schools; and Shirley J. Brown, Ed. D., SNS, Director, National Training, Rich’s Trainer Center.
The curriculum development responded to a three-week needs assessment in Benguela led by JAM in August 2010. A total of 40 McGovern-Dole schools were sampled in this assessment. Questions relating to the agricultural calendar, interaction between school teachers and community members, and whether ministry officials provide support to local PTAs and schools were asked to help design an effective school feeding curriculum.
Once the curriculum is finalized and translated from English into Portuguese, GCNF and JAM will together pilot test the curriculum in Benguela. The curriculum will be revised based on the findings from this initial pilot test, currently scheduled for sometime early summer 2011.
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