Although the benefits of school feeding programs are stark — $1 returns $20 through human capital and the local economy — investment in the safety net program remains low in Africa, Madalitso Wills Kateta reports for Devex. A cost-benefit analysis of school feeding programs also found that an investment of $11 billion annually would result in a return of $156 billion through increased school attendance.
But only 27% of African children have access to school meals.
"My parents were not harvesting enough food because our crops were usually affected by drought, and this meant I had to remain at home," 17-year-old Marai Nkhoma told Devex in an interview. She lives in the southern Malawi district of Balaka and had to miss classes because there wasn’t enough food at home. She’s now in secondary school, but had to remain home to take care of domestic chores as her parents went around in search of menial jobs to feed their five-member family.
About the author
Teresa Welshtmawelsh
Teresa Welsh is a Senior Reporter at Devex. She has reported from more than 10 countries and is currently based in Washington, D.C. Her coverage focuses on Latin America; U.S. foreign assistance policy; fragile states; food systems and nutrition; and refugees and migration. Prior to joining Devex, Teresa worked at McClatchy's Washington Bureau and covered foreign affairs for U.S. News and World Report. She was a reporter in Colombia, where she previously lived teaching English. Teresa earned bachelor of arts degrees in journalism and Latin American studies from the University of Wisconsin.
