For a child, hunger is not just an empty stomach; it is a major impediment to his/her mental and physical development, a huge limitation to the benefit of education, and a hinder to social integration. It is estimated that malnutrition contributes to 55 percent of all deaths in children in developing countries. In Egypt alone, there is a considerable chronic malnutrition among children with approximately 18 percent under 5's who are stunted (the percentage reaches 23 in rural Upper Egypt) and 6 percent are severely stunted. The World Food Programme (WFP) believes that investing in children, the future generation, is one of the soundest investments a country can make. Ensuring children get the best and most appropriate nutritional support during their formative years has long-term sustainable returns. Likewise, every child who is given a better chance to learn today will benefit not only himself but his family, his community and his country tomorrow and in years to come. Several studies, including one conducted by the Egyptian Ministry of Education and the National Nutrition Institute, concluded that absence rates in primary schools increased and children's learning capacities decreased in the absence of school feeding. Positive differences in children's height and weight were also noted as a result of school feeding programmes. Since 1971, WFP has been supporting the government with five separate projects valued at a total of US$ 148,216,882. All these projects were in support of the Government of Egypt's national school feeding programme. For more than 30 years, this programme distributed nutritious snacks (biscuits, pies, sometimes a whole meal) to students (predominantly primary) all over the country as a means to stimulate enrolment and retention and improve the nutritional status of the children. In 2004/2005, this investment reached a phenomenal LE 354.2 million (approximately US$62 .8 million) to feed over 12 million children. Whether the current national school feeding expenditures reach their intended target groups, efficiently, equitably and effectively is not clear. To this end the government is working with UN agencies to develop a Poverty Reduction Action Plan, and has supported the publication of annual National Human Development Reports, going back to 1994, as well as producing poverty analysis papers. The initial results of the recent public expenditure review show that there are still mismatches between allocation of resources and the needs of different levels in the system and a need to address more directly the regional disparities in the country - particularly the structural causes of poverty in Upper Egypt. A well targeted, school feeding programme would significantly help in this regard. WFP's newly formulated Egypt Country Programme 2007-2011 attributes profound emphasis on supporting the Ministry of Education conduct an in-depth review of Egypt's existing school feeding programme and providing technical assistance in order to strengthen the government's capacity to plan, implement and monitor national food for education (FFE) activities effectively and efficiently. The project aims at reducing the high expenditures invested nationwide through better targeting, eventually facilitating more days of school feeding throughout the school year (current budgetary constraints limit the feeding in some area to only 40 school days). Additionally an improved central school feeding information system would facilitate monitoring, link nutrition and educational performance (enrolment and attendance rates), and harmonise the various FFE initiatives throughout the country. WFP's long experience in implementing FFE programmes make it uniquely qualified to assist the government. The vulnerability analysis & mapping (VAM) work and expertise with food systems management are expected to be an invaluable support to the government in adjusting the existing school feeding programme. By targeting interventions to the poor and disadvantaged, savings of public resources will be generated while poorer and more needy communities would benefit Country exchange visits are also deployed for the success of the review. One particular experience is that of Chile, when a delegation of high-level Egyptian education officials visited the Country's school feeding programme, and got acquainted with their innovative targeting techniques and the involvement of the private sector and various Civil Society Organizations in service delivery. Lessons learnt from Chile are currently being studied by Egypt to effect substantial and beneficial changes in the national school feeding programme. In recent years, the national school feeding activities have extended to include remote areas, through the community and one-classroom schools. A special emphasis is placed on increasing girls' school attendance through the "Girl's Education Initiative," initiated by the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood. WFP supports this initiative through distributing take-home rations to girls in such remote areas as an incentive for their families to send and maintain their girls in schools. Another important priority of the government is early childhood development. A new 100 million US$ project has jut commenced, in cooperation with the World Bank, Canada and WFP, with the aim of expanding early childhood education from 13 percent of the population to 60 percent by 2010. This Early Childhood Education and Enhancement Project marks the first time daily snacks are provided to over one million preschool children in 18 of the poorest governorates in Egypt.
