Nutri-Schools – PNE014/FSG

In Mozambique, about 43% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition (low stature for their age) and 8% suffers from acute malnutrition (low weight for their height). This can happen at any stage in life and recovery is possible at any point. (IDS, 2011).

The high level of students who have to repeat the school level in the Country are probably related to nutritional issues. The study ordered by MASA (2018), reports that 18,8% of all repetitions in 2015 where linked to chronic malnutrition.

In general, malnutrition has a negative social and economic impact in education, health and productivity (MASA, 2018). This allows malnutrition itself to perpetuate the cycles of precariousness, inequality and social exclusion, reduced productivity of the working population and in promoting social stigma (WHO, 2017).

In this context, the Nutri-Schools project aims to complement the energetic and nutritional needs of students enrolled in public and/or private schools, because this environment is renowned as the most privileged setting for the development of different knowledge, considering that most school aged children in Mozambique are enrolled in teaching establishments and frequent this space for a considerable and sufficient amount of time to establish friendship and trust relationships.

The objective of this project is to complement the energetic and nutritional needs of the students by offering a daily meal in the morning and afternoon shifts, aiming to fulfil the nutritional needs during the period when the child is at school. With the purpose of:

• Improving the physiological condition of the students in order to contribute to the improvement of their academic performance;
• Promoting the nutritional education within the school in order to reinforce the acquisition of nutrition habits;

Reducing school dropout and repetition of levels.