Nearly 15 million children between 5-14 years old are out of school in MENA, and 10 million are in school but at risk of dropping out due to poverty and social marginalization, as well as migration, displacement and conflict. This brief provides key messages and actions for governments, WFP offices and partners to strengthen linkages between school feeding programmes and social protection to maximize the benefits of National School Feeding Programmes (NSFPs) as safety nets in the region.