Gov’t, partners to undertake School Feeding impact assessment

A United Kingdom (UK) based organization Partnership for Child Development (PCD) is partnering the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) and the Ghana School Feeding programme to undertake a-two-year impact evaluation study of the school feeding program.

The study will come up with scientific evidence on the real impact of the programme as well as recommendations that would help to enhance the delivery of the programme.

The project involves 58 districts and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation with support from Dubai Cares and the government of Ghana.

The assessment programme is aimed at enhancing the implementation of the School Feeding programme and also to explore other effective implementation modalities.

The nutrition programmes manager of Partnership for Child Development, Lutuf Abdul-Rahman at a sensitization workshop in Wa for gender desk officers, nutritionist and officials from the ministry of food and agriculture and caterers for the programme stated that the project would also assess the impact on small holder agriculture development, school children’s education, health and nutrition in the country.

Mr. Lutuf said the project is expected to provide a broad policy framework for the government, adding that the project will benefit about 12,258 school children, 4,500 farmers from 360 organisations, 58 caterers and 20 civil society organisations and the media.

Deputy National Coordinator of the Ghana School Feeding programme (GSFP), Mrs Veronica Kumah Mintah in a speech read on her behalf by the Upper West Regional Coordinator of the programme, Hajia Cecilia Hamza, re-emphasised government’s commitment to the GSFP and called on metropolitan, municipal, and district executives to provide a very effective political leadership to ensure the success of the programme.

‘‘If we do it right for them today, they will become the right people tomorrow,’’ she stressed.

Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Rafiq Salam