Sindh, USDA launch $80m school meals programme

Provides daily cooked meals, take-home rations to more than 200,000 students in almost 1,300 primary schools

The Government of Sindh and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday launched the Sindh School Meals Programme, backed by $80 million in funding, to provide daily cooked meals and take-home rations to more than 200,000 students across nearly 1,300 primary schools in the province.

The initiative, supported under the USDA’s McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme, will be implemented by Save the Children and the World Food Programme (WFP) in coordination with Sindh’s Planning and Development Department, School Education and Literacy Department, and provincial food and health departments.

According to an official statement, the programme aims to improve enrolment, attendance and foundational learning by addressing nutritional deficiencies exacerbated by recent floods and economic challenges.

US Consul General in Karachi Charles Goodman said the initiative reflected a strong bilateral partnership.

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“The United States is proud that our farmers and agricultural producers can support the children of Pakistan by providing quality wheat, pulses and cooking oil for school meals to feed over 250,000 school children in the next six years,” he said, adding that the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Programme represents “true partnership for shared prosperity”.

Sindh’s education minister termed the initiative a step toward strengthening the province’s human capital, saying education remained “the engine of the nation’s growth” and the partnership would help ensure a healthier future for children.

Save the Children Pakistan Country Director Muhammad Khuram Gondal said hunger continued to hinder learning outcomes.

“For children in Pakistan, hunger stands in the way of learning. This initiative represents a powerful commitment to ensuring that children in Sindh can attend school regularly, concentrate in class and grow up healthy,” he said.

WFP Country Director and Representative in Pakistan, Coco Ushiyama, described school meals as a “proven multisectoral game changer” in a country where millions of children remain out of school.

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The programme also includes capacity-building measures, under which thousands of teachers, headteachers, school management committee members and district officials will be trained in food safety, nutrition education and monitoring.

Authorities said Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in targeted schools would also be rehabilitated to ensure safe food consumption environments.

Implementation will be overseen by a joint steering committee comprising representatives from the Government of Sindh, WFP, Save the Children and other partners to ensure transparency and provincial ownership.

Under the initiative, fortified US wheat, vegetable oil and pulses will be supplied alongside locally procured fresh produce from Sindh’s farmers, supporting both student nutrition and local livelihoods.