It Takes A School To Raise A Village
Fueled in part by nourishing food from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), these students no longer have to worry about feeding themselves. Instead, they can focus on their futures.
At the cost of 25 cents each, school meals are one of the most affordable investments the world can make in its collective future. It’s also one of the smartest. WFP estimates that every dollar invested in school meals yields $3 in economic returns.
School meals don’t just help hungry children either. They improve the lives of entire families and communities by boosting attendance and graduation rates. School meals encourage parents to keep their kids in the classroom by easing the burden of putting food on the table. In developing countries like Somalia, school meals improve gender equality by helping feed girls who would otherwise be forced into marriage or the workforce to feed themselves. When prepared using locally grown food, school meals create a reliable market for small farmers and boost local economies.
As Americans across the country begin their back-to-school shopping, remember the millions of boys and girls around the world who can’t learn on an empty stomach; the communities that can’t flourish without educated children, and the progress the world can’t achieve as a result.
No child should grow up hungry and every child should have the opportunity to learn. The well-being of all nations —indeed the entire world—begins with good nutrition and education. After all, food is a basic building block of life.
Hunger is the single greatest problem facing humanity today. Each year, hunger kills more people than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. But it is also solvable—and providing school meals is one of the most effective solutions.
