Children should be eating better at school as Ministry of Food Security hands over Belize Resilient School Feeding Program to Ministry of Education

Photo Credit: MAFSE

By Rubén Morales Iglesias: Children at participating schools should be eating better at school as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise (MAFSE) on Wednesday handed over the Belize Resilient School Feeding Program (BRSFP) to the Ministry of Education. This project is part of the Mexico-Caricom-FAO Initiative: Cooperation for Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in the Caribbean.

The transfer was done at the San Joaquin RC Primary School in the Corozal District. A Nutrition Guide and Manual was handed over to the Principal of San Joaquin RC Primary School. The principals of the participating schools will also receive the Guide and Manual.

According to MAFSE, school feeding programmes in the Caribbean, as elsewhere, have long been established and recognized as an important instrument in facilitating learning, especially for poor and vulnerable school children.

The BRSFP aims to improve the learning outcomes and well-being of those school children by providing them with nutritious meals sourced from local smallholder farmers and family farming cooperatives. The project also supports the development of school gardens and the enhancement of institutional capacities for food and nutrition security.

The BRSFP is aligned with the Belize Healthy Start School Feeding Initiative, which is one of the commitments of the Government of Belize under Plan Belize. The project also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health & Well-being, and Quality Education.

The project is funded by the Government of Mexico through the Mexican International Development Cooperation Agency (AMEXCID) and technically supported by the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). FAO has developed a methodology to assist countries in improving their National School Feeding Programs.

MAFSE said each of the beneficiary schools have received a covered structure with raised beds and seedlings of different varieties.  The schools will also be receiving training on how to manage their gardens. Additionally, training will also be made available to small farmers and cooperatives, with the goal of enhancing their production capacity and market access.

Present at the event were the Minister of Agriculture Jose Mai, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca, Minister of National Security Florencio Marin Jr, Chief of Mission-Mexico Vladimir Hernández, FAO Representatives, and other invited guests.

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