First week of the School Nutrition Initiative
On October 1 2009, The Niapele Project and its partner the Carolyn Miller School began serving meals to the school's students. Following months of hard work and determination on the part of the school and our staff on the ground (Megan and Henry), we're really happy to bring you this exciting news!
Currently, the program is serving 332 students, teachers and staff:
- 307 students
- 25 adults
- 167 boys
- 140 girls
- 179 children between kindergaten and grade 6
- 128 students between grade 7 and 12
The school will continue to accept incoming students at least until the middle of the month, and the registrar expects the numbers to increase daily. Our prior experience with school feeding in Ghana showed us that families were more likely to send their children to school when a daily meal is served - for many, the promise of a healthy, daily meal creates an additional incentive to attend school. (To read more about the benefits of school feeding, check out the World Food Program's website)
The food you see in the photos comes from a women's agricultural co-op, Malaya, who we are partnered with to provide students with locally grown, traditional Liberian fare. Through this collaboration, the School Nutrition Initiative delivers benefits beyond increased calorie intake for the students: the program also supports local agricultural production and employment.
The first anthropometric evaluation was carried out on October 2nd by nutritionist Elsie Guwor and her team from the University of Liberia. Children are measured and weighed at regular intervals throughout the year, allowing us to better understand the depth and severity of malnutrition in the school. Based on the results, as well as a qualitative assessment, we'll be able to identify strengths and weaknesses in the program, and how best to address the nutritional needs of the Carolyn Miller School community.
