Addis Ababa, August 14, 2025 (FMC) – The Southwest Ethiopia People’s Regional State is preparing to expand its school feeding program to benefit more than 120,000 students in the 2018 (2025/26) Ethiopian academic year, in a major effort to reduce dropout rates and improve learning outcomes.
Deputy Head of the Regional Education Bureau, Desta Geneme, said the initiative will provide daily meals to students in pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools who require special support. The program is designed not only to meet children’s immediate nutritional needs but also to keep them in classrooms, improve attendance, and strengthen academic performance.
Last academic year, the program reached more than 44,000 students across 278 schools, supported through in-kind and cash contributions from local communities, with additional backing from investors and governmental and non-governmental institutions. Desta noted that community participation has been central to its success and will remain a pillar of the expanded rollout.
He added that the school feeding program also supports Ethiopia’s broader food and nutrition security goals, which aim to ensure that children from vulnerable backgrounds receive the nourishment needed to learn and thrive.
By embedding the program within the national strategy, Ethiopia is positioning school feeding as a sustainable solution that links education, agriculture, and public health—ensuring more children not only attend school but excel in it.