Addressing nutrition, health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and other sector efforts is critical to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education, leading to lifelong health outcomes, said Samson Desie, the Nutrition Program Manager and Early Childhood Development Coordinator at UNICEF.

Desie made the remarks during a panel discussion titled "School Health and Nutrition: Achieving Impact at Scale, the Critical Role of School Health and Nutrition,” held on November 12 as part of the second Africa Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX 2024), a three-day event at the Kigali Convention Centre.

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UNICEF has been working to transform school feeding and health programs in low-income countries through an initiative aimed at supporting 35 million vulnerable children across 30 countries since 2020 in partnership with World Food Program.

The initiative focuses on providing comprehensive school health and nutrition packages, including meals, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities.

UNICEF’s role involves mobilising resources and collaborating with national governments and partners to ensure sustainable school-based support that fosters learning and growth, especially for girls.

By strengthening children’s health and nutrition, UNICEF and WFP aim to enhance school attendance, improve learning outcomes, and reduce gender disparities, ultimately contributing to Sustainable Development Goals such as eradicating poverty, improving education quality, and promoting gender equality.

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Desie emphasised the widespread issue of malnutrition among school-age children and its impact on the continent’s progress.

"The problem of malnutrition, especially among school-age children, is widespread. We cannot expect to transform our continent without addressing this issue comprehensively through school nutrition and health programs as a part of our response,” he said.

Highlighting recent statistics, Desie noted that in some African countries, research shows a 10 per cent increase in stunting is associated with an 8 per cent decrease in the proportion of children completing primary school, which affects both productivity and lifespan.

"Most of our countries face high levels of stunting challenges, and as someone mentioned earlier, we need to tackle these issues head-on,” he added.

Desie also stressed on the hidden issue of micronutrient deficiency, often overlooked.

"That’s why we say we need to go beyond just providing a school meal. The meal needs to be nutritious and rich in essential nutrients. Otherwise, we are left with a hidden hunger that remains unseen,” he said.

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For instance, he noted that iodine deficiency alone affects about 60 million school-age children globally and is linked to a reduction of up to 17.5 IQ points.

He stressed that comprehensive investment in the health, nutrition, and well-being of students is essential.

Calling for innovative approaches to financing and coordination, Desie noted successful examples from Kenya, urging others to strengthen similar innovations.

"UNICEF advocates for a comprehensive school food and nutrition program to prevent all forms of malnutrition among school-age children.

"This includes nutritious school meals, a healthy school food environment free from unhealthy foods high in sugar, salt, and fat, adequate water and sanitation facilities, micronutrient supplementation, skill-based nutrition education, and physical activity,” he said.

Colleen O'Connor, WFP’s School Feeding Programme Manager, emphasised the importance of expanding school feeding initiatives to reach younger children.

"I would like to compliment what Desie has said from UNICEF and add that WFP also encourages broadening school feeding programs to focus on early childhood development and pre-primary students, maximising nutritional impact for 3- to 5-year-olds,” she said.

She commended Rwanda’s recent development of a sustainable financing strategy for school feeding, which was validated by the Ministry of Education and the Prime Minister’s Office, calling it a valuable example.