The project is based on Millennium Development Goals 1 and 2, which relate to the elimination of extreme poverty and hunger, and to universal primary education. These objectives are reflected in Benin’s Poverty-Reduction Strategy Paper (2003–2008) and in the United Nations Development Assistance Framework for Benin (2004–2008).
The project’s two components correspond to two of the UNDAF’s objectives:
The priority for basic education, including school feeding, is one of the pillars of the national strategy outlined in the Poverty-Reduction Strategy Paper.
In conformity with the Strategic Plan (2004–2007) approved by the Executive Board at its October 2003 session, the project will centre around formal and non-formal education, with special attention given to girls (nearly 50 percent of the 68,300 beneficiaries). It will provide support to the development of national policies that aim to reduce poverty and food insecurity and decrease the disparity between girls’ and boys’ education by ensuring equal access to basic education, training and social protection.
In conformance with WFP’s strategic thrust, the principal component of the project, formal education, will be implemented in areas that are the most underprivileged in terms of education. The second component, non-formal education, will cover all the Beninese institutions aiding troubled children and youth, provided that those institutions offer formal, non-formal or vocational education and can guarantee that they function smoothly.
For effective management, responsibilities for project execution will be distributed according to the skills and abilities of the ministries concerned.
The Ministry for Primary and Secondary Education, and the Ministry for the Family, Social Protection and Solidarity will be responsible for technical implementation and project monitoring, while the National Directorate for WFP projects in the National Ministry for Long-Term Planning and Development will be responsible for logistical management of food commodities, in close coordination with the WFP country office in Benin.
An inter-ministerial steering committee will be installed at the start of the project.
For the school feeding programme to realize its full potential, it should be coordinated with other projects that aim to facilitate access to school and improve the quality of teaching. Participation by parents’ associations and local authorities in school canteen management will be of vital importance for ensuring that the canteens operate well and that the parent associations and local authorities are able take over from WFP.
