…gesture meant to fight food insecurity among young learners
Lebohang Tsatsi
MASERU, Lesotho – Education minister, Professor Ntoi Rapapa this week applauded Japan for its continuous support towards fighting food insecurity in Lesotho’s education sector by donation towards the Mountain Kingdom’s school feeding programme.
Prof Rapapa made the gesture during the handover of donations from Japan to the World Food Programme (WFP) worth US$1. 1 million in Maseru.
Lesotho uses the school feeding programme to fight stunting, undernourishment, malnutrition and low pre-primary enrollment.
Prof Rapapa said research had proven that a well-thought-out school feeding programme was an answer to some persistent problems in Lesotho’s education system.
“I am really grateful for WFP’s commitment, and the ongoing efforts to raise funds in support of the school feeding programme, as well as for building ministry of education’s staff capacity to manage school feeding, including support for the updated School Feeding Policy of 2023, which is soon to be submitted for Cabinet approval,” Prof Rapapa said.
Donation to fight food insecurity by 50 000 children
“The WFP has graciously mobilised a total of US$1. 1 million from Japan to support the ministry to administer and implement the school feeding programme.”
The support would help 50 000 children for 180 school days in 2024 and would be concentrated on the continuous supply of school meals to pre-primary learners in 2 400 Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centres.
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The money would be used to purchase 189 metric tonnes of split peas, 61 metric tonnes of canned fish and 115 metrics tonnes of vegetable oil. The commodities would be used for lunch meals, supporting the mid-morning porridge.
Prof Rapapa reassured the partners that the ministry would work effortlessly in guaranteeing that the food commodities reached their intended recipients.
Conflicts, climate-shocks and socio-economic crises increasing food insecurity
WFP country director, Aurore Rusiga, expressed her gratitude to Japan and said the support had come at a critical time when conflicts, climate shocks and socio-economic crises saw the increment of number of food insecure people in Lesotho from 521 000 in 2022 to 580 000 in 2023.
She said most learners who come from vulnerable families and only got nutritious meals from school were often pulled out of school as hunger affected their concentration and learning ability.
The collaboration was key in the efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 2, which is “Zero Hunger”.
“This signing underscores the importance of joint efforts, for reducing hunger, and food insecurity through providing food aid to enable development while also strengthening the WFP’s commitment to achieving its mandate, through partnership,” Rusiga said.
She also shared insights into the WFP’s process of developing a Second-Generation Country Strategic Plan (2G CSP 2024-2029) which is aligned to national priorities, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2024-2028).
“The 2G CSP is anchored in adaptation to climate change; and aims to assist the country in striking and reversing the deteriorating food security, and nutrition situation of recent years. While the strategy clearly defines school meals as key to achieving social protection, it also prioritises food systems, as one of the key enablers to accomplish sustainable transformation,” she said.
She said she now hoped that the signing would pave the way to more collaboration in boosting the local economy by promoting the homegrown school feeding approach that would link agricultural production around schools.
On his part, Japanese Ambassador to Lesotho, Ushio Shigeru, emphasised his government’s commitment to contributing to “Lesotho’s priority areas such as education, health, agriculture, border and migration management through technical assistance, grant aids and assist for grassroots human security projects”.
He thanked Lesotho government and the WFP for their “outstanding and hard work” in smooth implementation of food aid. He said he was hopeful that his government’s partnership with the WFP would continue to work for Basotho and Japan.
Children suffer the most from food insecurity
According to the School Feeding Programme report of September 2023, children are considered as the most vulnerable to poverty with 65 percent being multidimensionally poor and over a quarter being orphans.
It states that Lesotho, chronic malnutrition remains a concern despite downward trend of stunting rates from 39. 2 percent in 2002, stunting remains high at 34. 5 percent, considered to be a slight increase from 33 percent in 2014, with children aged two to three years most stunted.
