Republic of Congo, Evaluation of WFP McGovern-Dole Funded School Feeding Programme 2021-2026

The purpose of the midterm evaluation is to critically and objectively examine the program implementation experience within the context of the Republic of Congo and assess whether targeted beneficiaries are receiving services as intended and whether the program is on track to achieve stated goals and objectives; review results frameworks and assumptions; document lessons learned, and discuss modifications or mid-course corrections needed to effectively and efficiently achieve stated goals and objectives.

Conclusions

The overall conclusions on the FY21 McGovern-Dole project in Congo is that it has been highly relevant to national needs and coherent with policy frameworks, and it has demonstrated commendable efficiency gains in resource use and logistics. It has been moderately effective in stabilising participation in schooling and shows limited impact in improving learning outcomes. Equal impact across all groups remains limited, as evidenced by ongoing disparities in attendance between girls and boys. Sustainability foundations are in place but remain fragile, with heavy dependence on external support and community burden-sharing. To ensure all communities benefit, the project must prioritize actions that reduce gaps in participation and outcomes. The project has laid important groundwork for longer-term transformation, but realising its potential will require deliberate investment in infrastructure, government ownership, and system-level institutionalization to ensure lasting impact for children, households, and communities.

What should WFP do?

Several recommendations are made based on the findings of this evaluation. They include the following:

1. Promote the implementation of the agreed inter-ministerial school feeding platform;
2. Continue and consolidate the support for a dedicated national budget line for school feeding;
3. Implement targeted capacity-building and mentorship for DDEPSA & SAS in weaker departments;
4. Strengthen decentralised monitoring and data use;
5. Strengthen local / community structures;
6. Support and compensate women cooks;
7. Address infrastructure and logistics bottlenecks;
8. Link school meals to more education quality improvements;
9. Reflect differentiated needs and access barriers in the results frameworks;
10. Institutionalise menstrual hygiene management and sanitation designed to ensure safe, dignified access for girls and children with disabilities.