School feeding boosts enrollment in Eastern Equatoria state

JUBA – South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State reported a significant increase in enrollment and improved student performance following the introduction of a school feeding program.

Sr. Mary Nkatha Jenario, head teacher of St. Mary Magdalene Primary School in Kapoeta North County, said the feeding program has greatly improved students’ performance.

“The feeding program has been very important to our schools, and especially to this school, St. Mary Magdalene Nursery and Primary. In some years back, the number of learners was very low and as the World Food Programme kept on bringing the food in the school,” Jenario told Sudans Post last week during a tour of projects funded by the World Food Programme.

The school feeding program, implemented by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) and supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), operates in Kapoeta North and South counties.

“I see the number has increased from 777 to 1,050, which I feel is very important, and I think it is giving a good result for this food being brought in the schools,” she said.

She said the students in the school are now happier compared to those in the community.

Josephat Kutyauripo, ADRA project manager for food assistance for recovery, said they are implementing the school feeding program in 13 schools in both Kapoeta North and South counties.

He said 3,000 students benefit from the school feeding program in Kapoeta South and 2,585 in Kapoeta North, respectively.

Kutyauripo said the school feeding program has improved student enrollment, especially among those from poor backgrounds who come to school to get food because they lack it at home.

Sandra Nabeyo, a primary 3 pupil at St. Mary Magdalene Nursery and Primary in Kapoeta North County, said the meals help them concentrate better in class.

She added that they focus more on their lessons with full stomachs.

“We are so happy with the school feeding program at our school in Kapoeta North. Every day, we get to eat delicious and nutritious meals that make us feel strong and ready to learn. The food is always tasty, and we love knowing that we can have a good meal every day, even if we don’t have enough food at home,” said Nabeyo.

Another pupil, Isaac Latabo, a primary 5 pupil, said the meals have prevented him from going hungry for the whole day.

“Thank you so much to everyone who has made this possible. We feel very grateful and lucky to be part of a school that cares about our health and well-being. We hope that other schools can also have such a wonderful program,” said Latabo.

School feeding serves as a key safety net to ensure children have access to education, health, and nutrition in South Sudan.

The program addresses hunger among schoolchildren so they can learn better, thereby helping to break the intergenerational cycle of hunger, malnutrition, and illiteracy.

It also provides an important opportunity to build the resilience of the entire community by acting as a market for local produce from smallholder farmers.