On 29 October, 2024, a delegation from Germany, led by representatives from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ), and World Food Programme (WFP)visited the Roman Catholic Primary school and the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood school Indibia Chiefdom, Karene district. These schools are benefiting from the Home-grown school feeding programme as part of a larger effort to promote educational outcomes like enrolment and attendance as well as to link smallholder farmers to market.
The field visit comes on the heels of a recent donation of Euro 9 million by the Federal Republic of Germany to WFP for the school feeding programme for five years.
The project supports over 29,000 primary school children in 136 schools with daily hot meal ensuring that they concentrate on their lessons rather than where their next meal comes from. At the same time, smallholder farmers, majority of whom are women are supported to grow orange-fleshed sweet potato(OFSP), a crop celebrated for its nutritional value, which they supply to the schools giving them much needed income.
Commenting on the purpose of the visit, the head of delegation Dr. Sabine Lindermann, Senior Policy Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia BMZ said that the visit has been an opportunity to see first-hand the implementation of the school feeding programme by WFP.
“We observed that the children are really happy to come to school because they have something to eat, and it was also good to see the motivation of the women farmers engaged in the production of the orange-fleshed sweet potato, she said, adding “I think that the intervention will continue, and other districts will also benefit from it,”
As the delegation toured the farm of the Rochen farmers association, the farmers expressed the impact of the HGSF programme in linking them to reliable markets, which has in turn improved their income and food security. The delegationobserved an innovative approach to payments, where schools and local farmers transact through mobile money, ensuring transparency and timeliness in payments. This system has allowed more farmers to confidently engage with schools, boosting their income and supporting the growth of local economy.
Later, the delegation took part in serving school meal to the students during lunch break, who expressed their appreciation for the fresh and nutritious meals made possible through local sourcing.
The visit concluded with a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of 57 new kitchens and storage facilities in a step towards enhancing school infrastructure.
