Webinar | School Feeding Programmes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia and the Pacific

From Thursday 1 July 2021 
to Thursday 1 July 2021

A socialprotection.org webinar

1 July, 2021 – 11:00 – GMT+2

Organiser: World Food Programme, WFPOxford Policy Management, OPM

Prior to COVID-19, an estimated 129 million children received daily school meals in Asia and the Pacific region. School feeding programmes have served a range of objectives, including addressing short-term hunger among school-age children, acting as safety nets during crises, ensuring nutrition security through the provision of diversified, locally-sourced school meals and fortified food commodities, and incentivising school enrolment, attendance, and retention. 

As part of COVID-19 containment measures, in April 2020, schools were closed in all countries in the region, resulting in significant disruptions in school feeding programmes. 

Against this backdrop, the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBB) commissioned development consulting firm Oxford Policy Management (OPM) to do a review of the impacts of school closures and programme adaptations, focussing especially on the emerging evidence from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Nepal, Philippines, and Sri Lanka. 

The researchers conducted over 105 key interviews, including stakeholders from various implementing ministries, development partners, suppliers, (international) NGOs, and WFP staff. 

During this webinar, the findings of the study will be presented. It will provide insights into the alternative measures that were undertaken by governments and partners to mitigate the impacts of the unplanned school closures on SF programmes, the lessons learned from the adaptations by governments and development partners, and what the implications are for school feeding. The audience will hear from governments, academia, and developing partners on their experiences through informative presentations and a lively panel conversation.

Panellists:

Maham Farhat, Consultant, Poverty & Social Protection, at Oxford Policy Management

Donald Bundy, Professor of Epidemiology and Development at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Others TBC

Moderator: 

Carmen Burbano, Director of School Based Programmes World Food Programme

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