Uganda Global Food for Education Initiative Impact

In 2002, ACDI/VOCA was awarded a USDA-funded Global Food for Education program in northern Uganda. Through a partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), ACDI/VOCA provides take-home rations to approximately 21,000 elementary school students in Gulu municipality, strengthens parent/teacher associations (PTAs), provides technical support to educators and administrators, and establishes school gardens. Through these activities, ACDI/VOCA bolsters the ability of rural families to send their children, especially girls, to school. The program also helps school districts provide quality education, increase school attendance and enrollment, and encourage communities to become more involved in education.

The program has achieved the following to date:

• Approximately 10,327 girls and 10,608 boys at 23 schools at 13 schools have received an 8.8 kilogram ration at the end of each month that contains 6 kilograms (kg) of corn-soy blend (CSB), 0.55 liters of vitamin A-enriched vegetable oil, 2 kg of rice and 0.25 kg of iodized salt. This ration constitutes 1,325 kilocalories and 64 grams of protein per day for one month and is designed to meet the nutritional needs of the targeted children.
• A total of 26 agriculture teachers from 13 municipal schools were given a two day refresher course in practical vegetable gardening to enable them to manage sustainable school gardens. Thereafter, six demonstration school gardens were established at schools with the appropriate and necessary land to enable students and teachers to grow additional supplementary food. 700 teachers, representing all municipal schools and 10 displaced schools, were trained in improved teaching techniques and curriculum development.
• Plans are under way to train all administrators and Parent Teacher Association executives. The subject matter for these trainings will be based on the needs identified by all the relevant stakeholders.
• Plans are also under way to construct temporary classrooms and a library for use by displaced students.