ADDRESSING MICRONUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES IN SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN THROUGH HOME-GROWN SCHOOL FEEDING AND HEALTH PROGRAM (HGS&HP): A REVIEW OF POLICY

AND PROGRAMMATIC OPTIONS By F. T. Ami !" P#.D$% & ' F(& )* B*+i " P#.D,

The world pledged through Millennium Development Goals (MDGs 1 and 2) in 2000 to halve hunger and ensure universal primary education by the year 2015 !t has since been recogni"ed that school #eeding programs could be $ey to achieving these goals because they bring many synergies that support each other %vidence abound that school #eeding programs have been shown to increase children&s nutritional status' raise school enrolment' improve attendance' and more recently' address community health problems (s a response the )ederal Government o# *igeria launched a +ome,Grown -chool )eeding and +ealth .rogram (+G-) / +.) in 2005 The programme is being implemented with di##erent levels o# progress among the participating -tates without paying much attention to the policy implications o# the various components on reducing malnutrition This paper there#ore critically reviews various policy and programmatic options vis,0,vis their #easibility #or addressing micronutrient de#iciencies within the #ramewor$ #or implementing +G-)/+. !t also argues that #orti#ication at commercial scale by #ood industries should be corroborated with community,level #orti#ication o# the traditional staples and other options to address children not reached by the commercial #orti#ication programme Good health and good education are not only ends in themselves' but also means that provide individuals with the chance to lead productive and satis#ying lives This re1uires that resources are #ocused to achieve e##ective school #eeding and health proramme that have the potential to meet the micronutrient re1uirement' and culturally acceptable

The Micronutrient Initiative (MI), Nigeria Office, Abuja The Micronutrient Initiative (MI), Africa Office, Johannesburg