School Meals Expand the Right to Food for a Better Life and Future
By Joseph Bangnikon, Sr. Technical Advisor, Food Security Many children in low-income countries endure their entire school day without a nutritious meal, a situation that demands urgent attention. They arrive at school hungry and struggle to concentrate. Some even miss entire school days due to lack of food. This cycle of childhood hunger leads to…
Read MorePromoting Bilingual Education in Multicultural Societies to Enhance Student Literacy
By Leonel Arguello, Director of Integrated School Feeding Programs As a Nicaraguan, I grew up in a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country with a large Indigenous population. English and French were the mandatory languages in public and private schools during my school years. Sadly, we were never taught our Indigenous languages, not even simple phrases…
Read MoreIgniting Children’s Potential, One Bite at a Time: Reflections from the International Food Aid Showcase
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, Global Communities participated in the 2024 International Food Aid Showcase at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The showcase brought together diverse stakeholders representing all segments of the U.S. food assistance value chain—from farmers to implementing partners and government agencies. At the beginning of…
Read MoreThe Role of Mianatra in Enhancing School Attendance and Health in Madagascar
Until early 2023, EPP Toby Mahatsinjo, a primary school in the chronically food insecure Androy region of Madagascar, faced significant challenges related to water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and the overall health of students. The school lacked onsite access to water or latrines, and students were expected to use a shared latrine housed at the local…
Read MoreSchool Feeding Interventions as a Tool for Addressing Child Malnutrition: Experiences from Tanzania, Guatemala and Madagascar
By Betty Adera and Chloe Pan Malnutrition remains a pressing global issue, affecting millions of children and impeding their growth, development and well-being. It manifests in various forms, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity. Each form has severe consequences for children. In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that globally, 149 million children under five…
Read MoreFirst School Meals Served up in Madagascar
By Chloe Pan On February 6, 2023, Global Communities and its consortium of partners in Madagascar served the first school meals supported by Mianatra (“Learn” in Malagasy), a McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition (McGovern-Dole) project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). By the end of the week, a total of…
Read MoreConfronting Climate Change with Bold, Community-Based Actions
By Tanner Roark Climate change is here. It can be seen in every corner of the world, from heatwaves in India and winter storms in Texas to hurricanes in Guatemala and drought in Madagascar. Climate change is cruel. It spares no people or place, and its slow creep of destruction results in the loss of…
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