Food for Education and Child Nutrition (FFE) Program USAID/CRS (2003-2005, 2006-2008)
In 2003, MCDI began implementing the USAID-funded Food for Education (FFE) program in Benin, in collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Following a year hiatus, this project was re-launched in October 2006. MCDI continued its work with CRS to implement the extended FFE program in the Atacora and Donga departments.
The project aimed to:
- Improve primary school enrollment for girls
- Improve student achievement and learning environments
- Improve health and nutrition of students
- Strengthen the capacity of parent organizations to support the education of their children and the development of schools
Activities supported by CRS included providing mid-day meals and take-home rations to school children (activities which parents are being trained to implement once the program ends), promoting educational environments friendly to girls, building the capacity of parent-teacher associations (PTAs), and intiating teacher training, supervision, material development, and student tutoring. Activities supported by MCDI included training teachers and PTAs in topics such as hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and malaria and diarrhea prevention; supporting the de-worming of school children and promoting the advantages of de-worming; training local health committees in drug distribution, financial management, and health monitoring; and constructing wells and latrines at schools to improve hygiene. The program served 101 schools and assisted approximately 20,000 students in the Atacora/Donga region.
