Final report
Report on the School Feeding
Scheme (Nutrition) Survey
Conducted in Catholic Schools
Mark Potterton and Julie Dawjee
Johannesburg, February 2004
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the participants for their interest and willingness to share their
ideas with us.
Glynis Clacherty and Barbara MacGregor contributed to the development of
the methodology used in this survey.
Paul Jackson carried out the telephone survey. Kgetheng Matshai carried out
the fieldwork.
Thank you to Elzet Utley for her comments.
Thank you to Marisa van Zyl for her support in developing the database, and
to Daniel Ngomane and Damien Bartlett for capturing the data. Thanks too to
Debbie Bartlett and Marisa van Zyl for their administrative support.
This survey was funded by a grant from the Siyabhabha Trust.
Contents
Executive summary…………………………………………………………..3
Background and introduction………………………………………………..5
Literature overview……………………………………………………………5
Methodology………………………………………………………………….12
Results and findings
The survey……………………………………………………………12
Case study……………………………………………………………18
Focus groups and drawings………………………………………...19
Conclusion and recommendations…………………………………………21
Appendixes……………………………………………………………………23
References……………………………………………………………………26
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The CIE HIV/AIDS and Gender Unit approached CIE Education Services towards the end of
2004 and asked for assistance in processing the data they had collected in a survey of school
feeding schemes.
Research over a number of years in the area of school feeding schemes shows a number of
benefits of these schemes:
School feeding schemes address short-term hunger and improving cognition



Long distances that children walk to school can impact on nutrition
Providing breakfast to disadvantaged learners can improve test scores
School feeding programmes can improve short-term memory and increase
problem-solving skills.
School feeding schemes increase enrolments and improve attendance



Children in poor health start school late in life or not at all
Malnourished children complete fewer years at school than better nourished
children
School feeding programmes are associated with increased school enrolment,
regular attendance, lower repetition and dropout rates.
School feeding schemes address micronutrient deficiencies and improve learning


Iron deficiency causes children to be listless, inattentive and uninterested
Addressing iron deficiencies can improve IQ scores.
School feeding schemes promote community participation



Increase contact and communication between parents and teachers
Raise the value of education in the community
Community ownership can influence the success of the project.
Data was collected in three main ways. A telephonic survey was carried out of all Catholic
schools in the country and focus group interviews were conducted with children who benefit
from feeding schemes. Children were also asked to draw pictures of what feeding schemes
meant to them.
296 schools out of 342 Catholic schools responded to the telephonic questionnaire. 47,3%
(140) of the schools surveyed have school feeding schemes operating in them. 52,7% (156)
of the schools do not have school feeding schemes in place.
There is overwhelming evidence that school feeding programmes improve attendance at
school as well as the performance of disadvantaged learners.
School feeding schemes can minimise the effects of malnutrition.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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









Feeding schemes should operate on a daily basis.
Feeding schemes should be extended to include all learners wherever possible.
Schools should establish food gardens to grow their own food, and to teach appropriate
food production methods.
Appropriate menus need to be developed that meet the nutritional needs of the learners.
Effective distribution and storage arrangements need to be found.
Various food preparation options should be considered and community involvement
needs to be encouraged.
School feeding schemes need to be integrated with other school-based health
interventions such as treating parasites.
School feeding schemes menus should include fresh fruit and vegetables.
Management issues such as shrinkage, storage, and preparation, reporting and so forth
need to be addressed.
Schools should network with local hospitals and clinics to keep up-to-date with issues
around nutrition.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Background and introduction
The CIE HIV/AIDS and Gender Unit approached CIE Education Services
towards the end of 2004 and asked for assistance in processing the data they
had collected in a survey of school feeding schemes.
Data was collected in three main ways. A telephonic survey was carried out
of all Catholic schools in the country and focus group interviews were
conducted with children who benefit from feeding schemes. Children were
also asked to draw pictures of what feeding schemes meant to them.
The findings of this survey are reported under the following headings:
 Literature overview
 Methods
 Results and discussion:
- Telephonic survey
- Focus groups and drawings
 Conclusion and recommendations.
Literature overview
The literature overview is divided into two sections, the first deals with the
broader impact of poverty on education and the second deals with some
critical issues around school feeding schemes.
Poverty and education
Poverty is still a major challenge in schools in the developing world. Poverty
results in hunger and children don’t learn effectively if they are hungry.
Malnourished children also have other problems that affect learning. The
following quotation from UNICEF captures the situation well:
One third of the developing world’s children suffer from protein-energy
malnutrition. An estimated 250 000 children a year lose their eyesight
because they lack vitamin A. At least 50 million children have impaired
development because they lack iodine. Over half the pregnant women
in the developing world suffer iron-deficiency anaemia. Millions of
infants are exposed to illness, poor growth, and early death by the
decline in breastfeeding. Approximately one third of the developing
world’s children are underweight (UNICEF 1994: 6 – 7).
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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In trying to understand the gap in academic achievement between white,
middle-class students and their lower class counterparts in American schools,
Rothstein (2004: 106) argues that “low income and skin colour themselves
don’t influence academic achievement, but the collection of characteristics
that define social-class differences inevitably influences that achievement”.
These characteristics include things like different ways of parenting,
disciplining, communicating and expectations. In the South African context
poorer parents are likely to spend more time travelling to work, at work and
generally work longer hours. Many poor parents do not have formal jobs,
which adds to the stress levels of the family.
Rothstein (2004) also identifies other economic manifestations that impact on
achievement of poor learners, these include:
 Poor vision because of health conditions
 Poor nutrition
 Less adequate paediatric health care
 Poor oral hygiene
 Inadequate housing for low income families
 Higher learner mobility
It is also interesting here to look at Ruth Lupton’s (2004) article on the effect
that a disadvantaged context can have on teaching. Lupton is concerned with
schools in disadvantaged contexts in Britain; she argues that these contexts
impact on the organisation and processes of schools. One of the areas of
impact is the wide range of abilities within each school, which places
additional demands on teachers. Teachers in these circumstances tend to
make use of telling rather than writing. Worksheets and copying exercises
were also used more regularly in these classes.
Another area of impact in disadvantaged schools is material poverty. The lack
of resources limits the range of extra-curricular activities. The assignment of
homework had to be considered carefully as hardly any of the learners could
be assumed to have learning resources like reference books or computers at
home. Learners did not always arrive at lessons with basic equipment like
pens or rulers, which meant that valuable lesson time was spent giving out or
collecting stationery.
In addition to these external factors, Lupton (2004) argues, poverty affects the
emotional environment. The most distinctive feature of schools in
disadvantaged areas according to Lupton was that these schools had a
charged emotional environment. ‘The number of learners who were anxious,
traumatised, unhappy, jealous, angry or vulnerable was reported to be much
greater than in schools where parents were materially well off, less stressed
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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themselves and more able to secure a stable and comfortable environment for
their children’ (Lupton 2004: 9).
Teaching in these contexts was draining and demanded more on a personal
level than just teaching a subject. Teachers often had to deal with trauma,
conflict and tears, and found it hard not to feel attached or drawn in too
closely.
Schools with very poor learners tended to have low overall attendance rates.
Parent involvement in meetings and other school activities was low. Other
day-to-day issues for teachers included having to cajole learners to complete
homework and return books and equipment to class.
Lupton (2004) notes that all of these issues together resulted in an
‘unpredictable working environment’. Something could happen at any time
and lessons could not be relied upon to go according to plan. Learner mobility
also meant that it wasn’t clear how many learners would be at school on any
day.
In the South African context Harber and Davies (1997) noted that the
following factors promoted learning in South African schools:




Length of instructional programme
School library activity
Years of teacher training
Textbooks and instructional material and learner feeding
Harber and Davies (1997) also note that in South Africa school feeding
programmes had remarkable results. They also show that worm infestation is
a further concern, and that this has an impact on nutrient absorption. Poor
concentration, slowness to catch up and memory loss are other effects of
worm infestation.
Barbarin and Richter (2001) note that the ability of South African families to
meet the basic food needs of their children has been severely constrained.
One in five African children experience significant hunger regularly and suffer
from moderate malnutrition. The average income per household at the time of
the study was R1 812 per year. 53% of the people live below the porverty line.
School Feeding Schemes
This section of the overview examines how feeding schemes can address the
problem of hunger in schools.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
7
Food aid has its origins in the disposal of surplus food in the post-World War II
period. Food was distributed to parts of the world that still suffered from post
war shortages. Since then the provision of food aid to improve food security
has grown.
A debate has developed globally as to whether feeding schemes at school
actually make any difference at all. One view is that there is little evidence to
suggest that school feeding programmes have a positive impact on nutrition
for participating children. In some instances parents may provide less food at
home, and the school simply replaces a home meal rather than
complementing the home diet. However, there is some evidence that
providing breakfast rather than lunch may address this problem. However
there are also the arguments that in impoverished settings even small
attempts are worthwhile. The other argument against school feeding is that
children are only better able to learn with school feeding if the educational
inputs are improved (World Bank 2005).
The benefits in our view for providing food in impoverished communities
outweigh the criticisms. One of the key advantages of school feeding
programmes is that school attendance rates can improve (especially for girls)
as parents motivate their children to attend schools.
Tsang & Wheeler (1993) document that the problems of school quality are
especially severe for learners from impoverished and economically
disadvantaged backgrounds. In the rural areas of Thailand, for example,
where learner malnutrition is high, the dropout rates between Grades 4 and 5
continue to be severe.
Del Rosso (1999: 4-5) notes that school feeding programmes can:
 Alleviate hunger and increase the attention and concentration in learners
and therefore improve learning.
 Motivate parents to send their children to school regularly and therefore
reduce absenteeism and dropouts.
 Address micronutrient deficiencies like iron and iodine in school children.
Improvements in nutrition can have an impact on cognition.
 Increase community involvement in schools especially where parents
prepare and serve the meals (each of these is dealt with further in table 1).
Del Rosso (1999: 9-27) identifies seven steps to develop school feeding
programmes that improve education.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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1. Agree on a policy and objectives that focuses on how school feeding
can improve education. Agree on what problems the feeding
programme needs to address, who the programme will serve and
which models are feasible. The following questions may be useful in
developing a policy:





Why do children come to school hungry?
Are long distances between home and school a factor in hunger
at school?
Does hunger affect the children’s capacity to perform at school?
What infrastructure is available for school feeding programmes?
What human resources are available and used?
Table 1 illustrates the positive impact that feeding schemes can make
in schools.
Table 1: An overview of the impact of school feeding programmes
Address short-term hunger and
Increase enrolments and improve
improving cognition
attendance



Long distances that children walk to
school can impact on nutrition
Providing breakfast to disadvantaged
learners can improve test scores
School feeding programmes can
improve short-term memory and
increase problem solving skills



Address micronutrient deficiencies and
improve learning
Promote community participation



Iron deficiency causes children to be
listless, inattentive and uninterested
Addressing iron deficiencies can
improve IQ scores
Children in poor health start school late
in life or not at all
Malnourished children complete fewer
years at school than better nourished
children
School feeding programmes are
associated with increased school
enrolment, regular attendance, lower
repetition and dropout rates


Increase contact and communication
between parents and teachers
Raise the value of education in the
community
Community ownership can influence
the success of the project
2. Develop targeting criteria to reach high-risk children. Targeting is
necessary to ensure that children who lack resources benefit from the
school feeding programme. Targeting is especially necessary where
there is a shortage of resources. The programme can be targeted by
geographic area using a poverty map. Another approach that is used
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
9
is economic targeting. Here the household income is used as a
measure to identify children. However, measuring household income
is not that straightforward. In some countries gender has been used to
target programmes.
3. Analyse and identify alternative financing options for school feeding
programmes. These programmes are expensive. Besides the costs of
the food itself, the costs associated with logistics, food management
and control should also be considered. Other costs are associated
with food losses either to spoilage or theft. Further issues related to the
financing of feeding schemes are summarised in table 2.
Table 2: Some financing and cost issues
Food Aid
 Important source of support for school feeding programmes
Private Sector



Food Selection



Management and distribution of food requires trained staff
Private sector can include street vendors and local restaurants
This approach can overcome the many difficulties of onsite
preparation
Quality control can be a challenge
Certain foods are expensive e.g. milk
The perishability of foods need to be taken into account
Community
Support


Parents can take responsibility for some of the costs
Links with parent association can be strengthened
Sustainability

Continued support is required to provide food for school
children
Food programmes can provide long-term impact on behaviour
change

4. Develop appropriate guidelines for the ration composition and time of
school meals. Analyse the nutrition and health needs of the children at the
school and find out the communities ability to participate.
5. Identify potential bottlenecks in implementation. Once feeding
programmes are in place, altering them can meet resistance. Blended
foods and cereal flours can be prepared faster than whole grains. In Kenya
for example traditional maize, beans, bread and vegetables was
substituted with an early morning drink and biscuits and midday porridge.
This cuts down preparation time from four hours to one hour. Additional
logistical issues are highlighted in table 3.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
10
Table 3: The logistics of different school feeding models (adapted after del Rosso, 1999: 21)
Model
Infrastructure
Required
Staff
requirements
Meal options
Feasibility of
providing an
early meal
Issues
On-site meal
preparation
(donated food)
High
High
High (wide
range of
commodities
possible)
Medium
(cooking
time
involved)

On-site
preparation of
local food
Medium
Medium
High
(dependency
on available
local
resources
Medium
(cooking
time
involved)
Off-site
preparation of
local food
Low
Low
Low
High (if there
are no
transport
issues)
 Sometimes difficult
to control quality
 Local expertise
needed
 Risk that the school
meal replaces family
meal
 Monotony of ration
 Difficult to reach
inaccessible areas
 Inadequate amount
of food to meet the
nutrition deficit
On-site prepared
meal by local food
vendors
Low
Medium
Low (limited
to local
availability)
Medium
(cooking
time
involved)
 Sometimes difficult
to control quality and
hygiene
 Local expertise
needed
 Need for local
management
knowledge
Take-home
coupons or cash
or food in bulk
Medium
Medium
No Meal
No Meal
 No expected impact
on learning
 Unclear now much
food gets to the child


High organisational
requirements
Logistical problems
Risk that school
meal replaces family
meal
6. Develop monitoring systems that look at programme processes. Monitor
the functioning and effectiveness of the school feeding programme. Ask
questions like:



How many children are reached?
How many meals are served (calories delivered)?
How much is spent on the various elements of the programme?
7. Find opportunities to integrate interventions. Integrate feeding schemes
with other school-based health interventions for example, treating children
for parasites can improve their appetites and the nutritional benefit of the
food.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
11
Methodology
The survey made use of telephonic interviews, focus groups, drawings and a
case study. Each of these methods will be briefly discussed here and further
details are contained in the relevant sections of this report.

Telephonic interviews. A survey was drawn up in consultation with Glynis
Clacherty. The survey covered issues like provision, extent, quality,
effectiveness and need (See Appendix I).

Focus group interviews. Focus group questions were designed to be nonthreatening for children. The questions encouraged discussion and
allowed for a more in-depth understanding of issues (See Appendix II).

Drawings. Children were asked to draw a picture of what the feeding
scheme meant to them.

Observation. A case study of one school was written up to provide an
insight into a feeding scheme operating in one school
Database
An Access Database was developed for the data collected in the survey. The
database can be used to create queries for any further planning exercises.
Results and findings
The survey
296 schools out of 342 Catholic schools responded to the telephonic
questionnaire. This was an 87% response rate, which means that we can
speak with a good authority on what is happening with regard to school
feeding schemes across Catholic schools. 47,3% (140) of the schools
surveyed have school feeding schemes operating in them. 52,7% (156) of the
schools do not have school feeding schemes in place.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
12
Figure 1: Feeding schemes in Catholic schools
50
45
42
43
39
40
35
30
25
24 24
Feeding Scheme
23
No Feeding Scheme
20
20
15
15
13
11
9
10
7 7
7
5
5
3
2
2
MP
NC
0
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
NW
WC
A total of 48 284 learners were benefiting from feeding schemes in Catholic
schools in 2004. In KwaZulu-Natal 21 465 learners benefited from feeding
programmes, and that is almost two-thirds of all primary learners (KwaZuluNatal is the province where the highest numbers of Catholic schools are
located). A further 21 schools in KwaZulu-Natal indicated that they still
needed a feeding scheme.
Table 4 illustrates how many schools in each of the provinces still require
feeding schools to be established.
Table 4: Number of schools in each province that need feeding schemes to be established
Province
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
MP
NC
NW
WC
Number
of
schools
14
5
15
21
4
1
1
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
6
6
13
Figure 2: Numbers of learners benefiting from feeding programmes by province
22641
21465
25000
20000
11381
12735
15000
No. Learners
No. Learners fed by a feeding scheme
6052
5594
5569
1158
1158
2993
2073
3263
3086
1464
2339
5000
3231
4321
5078
10000
0
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
MP
NC
NW
WC
6 052 learners were fed in the Western Cape and 5 569 were fed in the
Northern Cape. This means that the Northern Cape has the highest
proportion of learners that benefit from feeding schemes.
Figure 3: The need for school feeding schemes.
30
27
25
21
20
15
18
15
14
14
Need a feeding Scheme
Don't need a feeding Scheme
10
10
5
5
6
4
4
5
6
3
1 1
1 1
MP
NC
0
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
NW
WC
Only 29 schools target their feeding to specific children. This means that the
rest of schools allow all children to participate in feeding programmes. The
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
14
schools that target their feeding programmes use directives from the
department of education, personal observation of need, and age to make their
decisions to exclude.
Only 50 schools responded to the question on the source funding for the
feeding schemes. Just under half of the schools indicated that government
supported the scheme. Mainly church-related groups funded the rest of the
programmes.
Figure 4: Schools receiving donations and the source of the donations
15
15
16
14
10
12
10
Total schools
Government
Private
8
8
Church
CIE EAP/CSO
6
4
3
2
2
1
2
3
4
3
1
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
3
4
4
4
4
5
Unknown
0
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
MP
NC
NW
WC
116 schools responded to the question on the frequency of food deliveries.
26 schools said that they had deliveries everyday and 10 said sometimes.
Table 5 shows the frequency of delivery as a percentage.
Table 5: Frequency of food deliveries
Everyday
22,41%
Once a
week
6,89%
Twice a
week
8,62%
Three times
a week
16,37%
Once a
month
24,13%
Sometimes
8,62%
140 respondents answered the question as to whether or not they were
satisfied with the quality of the food they received. 70% were satisfied and
30% were dissatisfied. Some of the respondents did indicate reasons and
these are captured in the discussion on the open-ended questions. Any
future consideration with regard to the type of food being served will need to
look at the preferences of learners more closely.
Figure 5: Satisfaction levels with the quality of food received
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
15
35
33
30
25
20
18
17
Satisfied
Unsatisfied
15
11
10
10
7
8
5
5
5
3
2
4
3
2
3
5
4
0
0
EC
FS
GP
KZN
LP
MP
NC
NW
WC
The food being offered in programmes must be appropriate and palatable for
the beneficiaries. Table 6 shows the types of food that were being provided in
feeding schemes.
Table 6:Types of food being provided in school feeding schemes (Note: Schools in each
Rice
Fruit
Fish
Soya
Margarine
Jam
Milk/Milk Shakes
Juice/ Energy Drinks
Biscuits
Vegetables
Peanut Butter
Soup Powder
Mealie Meal
Beans
Samp
Bread
province do not receive the same type of food)
Eastern Cape
          
Free State
             
Gauteng
        
KwaZulu-Natal           
Limpopo
        
Mpumalanga
             
Northern Cape         
North West
           
Western Cape
          
The survey also gathered additional comments about feeding schemes from
the schools. Some of the schools indicated that the amount of food given to
children was not enough for the learners. Others indicated that the quality of
food received was not always good. One school said that the margarine did
not taste nice, and that the learners did not enjoy the juice. One respondent
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
16
complained that the feeding scheme food causes the learners to develop
diarrhoea. A few of the respondents also said that the children did not like the
soya. A few of the respondents mentioned the need for fresh fruit and
vegetables. Many of the respondents said that having meat in the diet would
be a good idea.
Others said that the food was adequate and of a good quality, some schools
also said that the food provided a balanced diet for children. All of the
respondents were grateful that feeding schemes had been established at
some schools.
A number of organisations that were working in the area of school feeding
were mentioned and commended for their good work. The St Vincent de Paul
Society, Peninsula Feeding Scheme, Religious sisters, and the CIE EAP
Project were named. One or two schools are also involved in offering food
that has been donated by individuals.
A few of the respondents complained about the lack of space in schools to
store the food that was purchased in bulk. These respondents also
complained about the lack of proper kitchen space to prepare food in.
The sporadic nature of some of the feeding programmes was of some
concern. There was also some uncertainty about the continued funding of
some of the feeding schemes.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Case Study: A caring school
The St Gerard Majella Middle School is a Catholic school located in the rural area of
Tihabane, near Rustenburg. There are 344 learners from grade seven to grade nine
at the school.
In 2004 the school had applied to the Catholic Institute of Education for a grant to
establish a feeding scheme. The school managed to set up a full-scale programme,
which was started in August 2004. Learners most in need, particularly orphaned
children and those whose parents were unemployed were selected as the primary
beneficiaries of the scheme. The school identified 190 such learners but they also
wanted a policy of inclusion. The policy was that no child should be hungry at school
and therefore any child who did not have food on any day would be given a meal at
school. As a result of this inclusive policy there has been no stigma or discrimination
against any children benefiting from the programme.
The impact of the programme has been significant and both teachers and learners
who were interviewed were all very positive about the impact.
Teachers said that:
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Attendance had increased to 99%
Learners demonstrated an increased ability to listen in class and their
concentration had improved
Children were not as aggressive and violent as before
Learners appeared healthier, had gained weight and their hair and skin had
shine
Children were more lively, displayed more energy, were eager for the food
They were more helpful and eager to help the teacher
Learners were also taking responsibility to help with the feeding.
The learners’ said that:
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The food was great
It was like Mama’s food
We never get a proper meal like this at home.
The success of the programme can be attributed to good management. All expenses
and income are carefully documented and stored. Meal plans are drawn up so that
the amount of stock for each day is handed out according to plan. There is an
inventory of all stock on hand and stock used. The school received assistance from
the CIE in putting in place systems to efficiently manage the programme.
According to the school the feeding programme has been a huge success and has
improved the quality of life of the children. They intend to continue with the feeding
scheme and are also seeking to extend it into the future. The Department of
Education will be approached to provide and maintain the scheme. The school
obtained a storage cupboard from the department of education and are working hard
to have them commit to providing food.
Key learning from this case study
Hunger is a barrier to learning and learning wellness is linked to proper nutrition.
Children who have eaten nutritious food perform better than children who are
underfed or who have poor diets.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Finally the greatest challenge to them is to ensure the continuation of the programme
and they are committed to work tirelessly to make this happen, as they believe “no
child will go hungry and all children will have access to food here.”
Focus groups and drawings
The beneficiaries of the programme were interviewed in eight schools to find
out how they have experienced this programme, and what their feelings were
with regard to the effect of hunger on their lives at school. The responses
were from children ranging in ages eight to twelve years. The focus interview
questions were posed as problem statements around a case of a child who
lived with his mother and grandmother both of whom were unemployed. The
purpose of getting learners to respond to a case was to depersonalise the
issue of poverty so that they would feel comfortable talking about it. Questions
about what kind of problems and challenges this particular boy would be
faced with were asked and the children responded as follows:
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The boy would not always have food to eat
Even the food he gets does not make him full and does not give him
the energy he needs
He will feel dizzy
The learners then described some effects this would have on his learning:
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He cannot listen in class
He would be disturbed because he will not get all the things required
for school. He is not able to learn
He will be thinking about home and the fact that there is no food at
home
His mother will feel bad that her child has gone from home without any
food
He will fantasize about his mother getting a “piece job’ that day
He would have no writing material and he does not have a pen
He will not pass if he does not get good food
Learners were asked how they thought the boy in the story would have felt
without having any food to eat, and responded:
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He hurts
He will feel like no one cares
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He will feel bad when he sees others eating
His mother would like him to be like other children and have pocket
money
Sometimes he thinks it is his mother’s fault that he does not have food
He is shy
He is afraid others will laugh at him
He is going to faint
He feels empty
He can get dizzy
He could ask for food
He might cry
He can get short tempered
He could get stomach ache
He could get headaches
He could just sleep when he is hungry
He could get sad and even angry. He could steal not because he wants
to but because he is hungry.
Almost all said that the boy would not be able to concentrate and that he
would be thinking only about food. He would not have energy. The other
children would tease him and make him feel small. If he is hungry all the time
he might stay away from school.
The learners were also asked what would happen to the boy in the
playground. They answered that the boy would be embarrassed, and that he
would hide away somewhere in the school. Some respondents suggested
that he would ask for food but that he might cry if no one shares it with him.
All the children said that it was good to have a feeding scheme and most felt
that all the children should benefit from the scheme. The reason they gave for
this was that most children did not always have food to eat everyday and that
although some of the parents were employed they did not earn enough to
provide lunch everyday. Many did not like watching others go hungry. Also,
many felt that sharing and eating together was good for them. Some
suggested that only those in need should benefit.
The respondents were read an article from a Sunday paper about two
younger brothers who participated in the feeding scheme but the older brother
refused the food. They were asked why they thought this boy would have
refused to eat. The purpose of this was to illicit answers around the issue of
stigma attached to the feeding scheme.
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Many of the children thought he did not eat so that his brothers could
get more
Some thought that maybe the food was not good
Others thought that he was embarrassed to eat and that he was afraid
that he would be laughed at
Some thought that he was shy
But all agreed that no matter what the reason was he should eat
because otherwise he would suffer.
Finally the respondents were asked to draw pictures that would tell the
decision makers what their feelings were regarding the feeding scheme, and
the two drawings below illustrate what they came up with.
Figure 6: Children’s drawings
All the drawings showed that the scheme was very good for them. Many of
the drawings also had captions explaining that the meal they got at school
was often the only meal they had and this gave them strength to work. Some
also explained that they would have gone hungry for days without the
scheme. Most of the children expressed the wish that the scheme be run for
five not four days.
Conclusion and recommendations
There is overwhelming evidence that school feeding programmes improve
attendance at school as well as the performance of disadvantaged learners.
School feeding schemes can minimise the effects of malnutrition.
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Feeding schemes should operate on a daily basis.
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Feeding schemes should be extended to include all learners wherever
possible.
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Schools should establish food gardens to grow their own food, and to
teach appropriate food production methods.
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Appropriate menus need to be developed that meet the nutritional needs
of the learners.
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Effective distribution and storage arrangements need to be found.
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Various food preparation options should be considered and community
involvement needs to be encouraged.
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School feeding schemes need to be integrated with other school-based
health interventions such as treating parasites.
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School feeding schemes menus should include fresh fruit and vegetables.
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Management issues such as shrinkage, storage, and preparation,
reporting and so forth need to be addressed.
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Schools should network with local hospitals and clinics to keep up-to-date
with issues around nutrition.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Appendix 1: Survey of feeding schemes in catholic
schools
EMIS NUMBER _______________________________
SCHOOL NAME ________________________PROVINCE_________________________
TOTAL NUMBER OF LEARNERS IN THE SCHOOL _____
Grade _____
GRADE: Grade______ to
A1. IS THERE A FEEDING SCHEME IN YOUR SCHOOL? (Please circle)
YES
NO
2. If NO
YES
3. If NO
Do you need a feeding scheme in your school? (Please circle)
NO
Do you have an outreach programme where your school feeds needy people?
YES
NO
B. If YES
We do have a feeding scheme then:
1. What days of the week are the children fed? (Please circle)
Monday
week
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday Every day of the
2. Is the feeding scheme available for all the children? (Please circle)
YES
NO
3. How many learners are fed? _________
4. Is it available for certain children only? (Please circle)
YES
NO
5. Which grades? ____________________
6. How did you determine the grades?
______________________________________________________________________
7. Is it available for certain children only? (Please circle)
YES
NO
8. Which children?
______________________________________________________________________
9. How did you identify them?
______________________________________________________________________
10. Is your feeding scheme adequate? (Please circle)
YES
NO
11. Do you receive donations of money for the feeding scheme? (Please circle)
YES
NO
12. If YES
Where does the money come from? (Please circle all that apply)
Government
Private
Church
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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13. Do you receive donations of food for the feeding scheme? (Please circle)
YES
NO
14. If YES
Where does the food come from? (Please circle all that apply)
Government
Private
Church
School families
School Garden
Other (Please specify) _________________________________________________________________
15. If food comes from the Government, is sent by (Please circle all that apply)
The Provincial Education Department
The District Education Office
16. How often does the food arrive at the school? (Please circle)
Every day
month
Three times a week
Twice a week
Twice a month
Sometimes it does not come
Once a
17. What sort of food do you receive? (Please circle those that apply)
Samp
Mealie Meal
Vegetables
Peanut Butter
Beans
Soup Powder
Bread
Biscuits
Other:
_______________________________________________________________________
18. Does the food that you receive satisfy the hunger for those who receive it? (Please circle)
YES
NO
19. Are you satisfied with the quality of the food your school receives? (Please circle)
YES
NO
20. Does your school have a food garden to supplement school feeding? (Please circle)
YES
NO
C. Do you have comments about the feeding scheme or the food that you receive?
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Appendix 2: Summary of interview questions based
on the case presented to learners
A case study on Themba, a young boy who lived with his mother and
grandmother both of whom are unemployed was presented to the children
and the following questions were asked:
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What are the challenges that face children like Themba?
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What effect does hunger have on children like Themba?
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What do you feel about the feeding scheme at your school? How did
you experience it?
In addition the facilitators also explored the possible stigma attached to being
part of a feeding scheme.
Report on the School Feeding (Nutrition) Survey Conducted in Catholic Schools
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Harber, C. & Davies, L. (1997) School Management and Effectiveness in
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Millar Del Rosso, J. (1999) School Feeding Programs: Improving
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Sanders, D. (2003) Nutrition Literature Review. Johannesburg: Soul Buddies
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Schools and Health (2005) School Feeding / Food for Education
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Smith, B. (2005) Past experiences and needs for nutrition education:
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http://www.fao.org/docrep/w3733E/w3733e02.htm
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World Food Programme (2004) Into School, out of Hunger.
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