Dubai: A barefoot boy in the Ethiopian countryside walks to school more enthusiastically now, not least because it could be his only chance to eat for the day.
Ahmad Mosama, ten, is among scores of primary school age children set to benefit from a Dubai Cares programme providing locally-sourced daily school meals in Ethiopia.
Some 30,700 children in 30 schools there are being covered by the philanthropic organisation’s Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) pilot programme at a cost of Dh14.7 million.
Dubai Cares says the three-year programme will encourage school admission and attendance, improve children’s learning abilities, and by providing locally-sourced meals, support local economic growth.
Ahmad, for one, is convinced it is already bearing fruit.
“When I eat lunch at school, I feel stronger and more focused in studies. I’m more interested to attend class. The meal is tastier than what I eat at home — sometimes I don’t even get to eat at home,” he told Gulf News.
Gulf News was invited by Dubai Cares on a delegation to Ethiopia to witness HGSF in action.
At Ahmad’s Wotambo-Gobe School in rural Lanfuro locality — roughly three hours’ drive south of the capital Addis Ababa — meals are cooked and served at lunchtime. On the menu is a porridge-like dish of maize and beans prepared with some salt and vegetable oil.
Students wash their hands before and after eating, as part of WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) components in schools under HGSF.
Deworming medicine will also be provided to combat infections that leave children sick and hungry even though they may eat enough — as parasitic worms from contaminated soil and food compete for nutrients inside the children.
A school poster there reads: “Feed the children, not feed the worms.”
HGSF is being implemented by Dubai Cares partners UN World Food Programme (WFP), the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. WASH, facilitated by SNV, will also distribute locally-produced sanitary pads for girls, who otherwise miss classes during their period.
Meanwhile, a series of reports will be complied to keep track of the programme — and to keep the programme on track.
Elodie Yard, school health nutrition research consultant, PCD, said: “We’ll collect baseline data on the programme. The core component of the Dubai Cares programme is to help all partners work together on this. Its success will enable it to be scaled up in other regions of Ethiopia.”
Derese Getisa, Representative of the Regional Education Bureau in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), welcomed the Dubai Cares HGSF as similar programmes elsewhere had shown promise.
“Academic achievements are improving. And there are multiple benefits of local food in boosting economy and boosting demand. The region is fortunate enough to have support from Dubai Cares.”
Dr Purnima Kashyap, senior deputy country director-WFP, pointed out that the programme is addressing — and linking — health and schooling issues in one go.
“The Dubai Cares contribution is crucial; it was needed for a multi-sector approach to education and health,” Dr Kashyap said.
The WFP will utilise the programme funding to, in part, by buying produce needed for the school meals from local farming cooperatives. Profits will be distributed as dividends to member farmers, many of whom would have struggled to survive otherwise.
Meanwhile, the ration supply will reach the students after processing — the grains and flour is cleaned, fortified with nutrients, packed, stored and distributed to the schools.
Farmer Hassan Busair understands well the potential impact of HGSF – he has 12 family members to support himself.
“This system lets us earn more money, which we use to finance more seeds and farming tools. That in turn helps us produce more crops, which means more to sell and more money. It’s a cycle that benefits everyone in it,” said Busair, 56.
“Previously we had to go long distances to sell our crops, now we aggregate the grain — the market has come to us.”
HGSF has been implemented before by Dubai Cares in a somewhat similar way in Bangladesh and Ghana. Dubai Cares CEO Tariq Al Gurg told Gulf News the latest HGSF could convince others to take action too.
“This project will provide data to influence policy makers and to scale up. Its success can be replicated in other African countries,” Al Gurg said.
“Anytime we see a country with good government systems open to change and investing in their people, and we see there’s a chance, we’ll go to the decision makers.
“We want to work with like-minded organisations to make a change. With this HGSF we’re hitting many birds with one stone.”
He added there was little time to spare in intervention programmes in general, and governments and NGOs should move fast.
“I’m not afraid to take calculated risks — education is solving the problem of poverty. The success of this project should lead to increase the [Ethiopian] budget for education, I hope. And let me tell you no donor will buy-in unless it’s a success. A lot of governments and organisations are waiting to see if there’s success.”
A Dubai Cares delegation led by Al Gurg recently organised a press conference in Ethiopia to announce the launch of the HGSF.
“Dubai Cares commitment to this programme goes beyond its mandate to increase children’s access to quality primary education in developing countries; the programme aligns with and supports the UN Secretary-General’s five- year ‘Global Education First Initiative’, which has prioritised Ethiopia as a key target country,” a statement said.
Al Gurg added that Dubai Cares programmes were “guided by the belief of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to implement sustainable and impactful quality education programmes.”
Dr Yousuf Al Sabri, the UAE Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, also praised Dubai Cares’ work in Ethiopia and UAE-led humanitarian interventions.
At Wotambo-Gobe School, a banner fluttered in the cool countryside breeze: “Dubai Cares welcome to our school to bring our dream real.”
