To address the critical issues of access to primary education and healthy nutrition for vulnerable Lebanese and refugee children at a time, WFP has been partnering with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) since 2016 to develop and implement Lebanon's first school-based programme. The school system represents an exceptionally cost-effective platform to deliver an essential integrated package of education and nutrition services while ensuring linkages with local production and sustainable energy. The programme’s objectives (nutrition and educational access) are aligned with MEHE's five-year General Education Plan (2021-2025), looking at how the Lebanese national education system can provide equitable access to quality education opportunities for all children and youth in Lebanon. The programme also aligns with the National Nutrition Strategy (2021-2026) launched by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) by promoting safe and supportive school environments for nutrition and improving food production via the food industry and ensuring food is of high nutritional value, safe and accessible to the people residing in Lebanon.
WFP's school-based programme in Lebanon currently feeds 110,000 girl and boy students, with gender parity. The students targeted attend 194 primary public schools nationwide, in districts with high vulnerability indicators. 177 schools (97,000 students) benefit from daily in-school snacks, ready-to-eat, and 17 schools (13,000 students) receive healthy cold sandwiches accompanied with a fruit or vegetable, prepared on-site in a school kitchen.
Targeting of the School-Based Programme
In view of the increased needs of households including low dietary diversity, increasing anemia [1], and high rates of children not enrolled in school, WFP prioritizes schools located in vulnerable communities across the country. The targeting and selection of schools are coordinated with MEHE, guided and informed by WFP’s research, assessment and monitoring unit, which provides geographical indicators on food insecurity, poverty, child labor, and school registration data to inform the distribution of vulnerabilities and students.
Selected schools typically offer the double-shift system - the morning shift primarily educates vulnerable Lebanese students while the afternoon shift focuses on Syrian refugee students. By targeting both vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugee girls and boys, the programme promotes social stability, inclusivity and cohesion between refugees and Lebanese host communities while ensuring a comparable school environment for students attending either school shift. WFP provides food assistance to all the students registered and attending regularly, for both shifts, across all classes from pre-primary school to grade 9, for ages 5 –14 years.
[1] The prevalence of anemia is rising for women of productive age and children under 5. School meals begin at age six and can provide support to reduce anemia in children. (SMART Survey Lebanon, February 2022)
How can a school join the program?
Schools who are interested in joining the program should send an interest letter to Regional Education Offices (المنطقة التربوية). Sending an interest letter doesn’t guarantee that the school will be part of the program, but it will prioritize the school when choosing schools for the expansion.
Why is my child receiving only a snack and not a full meal?
Short school schedule, short recess time, and absence of an eating space are all factors that affected the ability of a child to be provided with a full meal.