IN HAITI, SCHOOL FEEDING AND NUTRITION IMPROVES ACCESS TO EDUCATION

For Haitian children, nutrition is as important as learning how to read and write. In a country where over two million people cannot cover their basic food needs, a school that doesn’t offer free food is likely to fail, according to Kerby Jules, a government official.

In the last school year, over 140,000 children have received a snack and a balanced hot meal every school day, thanks to the government’s school feeding program financed by the Haiti Reconstruction Fund and supported by the Global Partnership for Education, the Caribbean Development Bank, the Embassy of Canada, and the World Bank.

These meals provide 1,200 calories daily. The program also includes Vitamin A and deworming treatments for students, as well as training for the cooks to prepare the food in hygienic conditions.

The effects of the program can already be seen in some schools – students are more likely to come to school every days, and children and parents alike are happy for the daily hot meal received. Watch and listen to their testimonies.( Text and video : World Bank)