From 24 to 28 September, the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger undertook a mission to São Tomé and Principe to collect a validate data for an assessment of the return on investment of the country’s school feeding programme. The cost-benefit assessment will inform the transfer process of the school feeding programme from the World Food Programme to the government.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Communication of São Tomé and Principe requested technical support from the WFP Centre of Excellence to conduct the cost-benefit analysis of the existing school feeding initiatives and potential scenarios. The analysis includes local food market, reduction of post-harvest food loss, and meals costs.
The mission was conducted by the WFP Centre’s programme assistant Vinicius Limongi. He had meetings with the ministries of Education, Health, and Agriculture, as well as with the National Statistics Institute. He also met with the school feeding programme staff and with the WFP country office and visited schools. He collected qualitative and quantitative data for the cost-benefit assessment and to inform an analysis of the country’s existing school feeding framework and synergies with education and other sectors.
São Tomé and Principe established the guidelines of its National School Feeding and Health Programme based on a law from 2012. The legislation includes the promotion of healthy eating habits and the respect of traditional and cultural aspects of the people’s eating habits. The government is committed with taking full ownership of the programme, as part of the transition process agreed upon with the WFP country office.