Innovative School Feeding Programme to Combat Extreme Poverty in Zanzibar
On Wednesday 28 May the Government of Zanzibar launched a new innovative Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme in collaboration with the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Table for Two to feed over 5000 school children, whilst simultaneously supporting local smallholder farmers by sourcing their produce for the school meals.
“This programme is the first of its kind for Zanzibar and marks the Government’s awareness on the value of school meals for society as a whole” said PCD’s East Africa Senior Programme Manager, Iain Gardiner. He continued, “Not only will children be well fed in school but jobs will be created for farmers and other community members involved in the growing, processing and preparing of food for school meals.”
Surveys
Youth and Agriculture in West Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s fastest growing population and also the youngest. This is a huge opportunity for West Africa as young people bring energy, vivacity, and innovation into the work force and can consequently have a transformative impact on economic growth and social development. The agricultural sector plays a key role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and represents up to 35% of the region’s Gross Domestic Product. It is currently the employer of most of West Africans with 60% of the active population engaged in this sector.