Impact of the School Feeding Programs: A Case of Mateka Early Childhood Development Centre, Bungoma County

Florence Wakhu Wamunga, John Brian Wamunga, & Amos Kipkemoi Ronoh

Abstract

Hunger and malnutrition are burdens in developing countries where they manifest in form of protein energy malnutrition. Protein energy malnutrition compromises a child’s immune system leading to direct mortality and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, stunting and poor brain development. According to the County Early Childhood Education Bill of 2014, every County Education Board should carry out feeding programs in early childhood education centres. The Act further states that the feeding programs should provide adequate and nutritious foods based on physiological needs and regional demands. This was a longitudinal study that sought to establish the effect of a nutritionally adequate and consistent school feeding program on child nutrition status and school attendance at Mateka Early Childhood Development Centre. Findings revealed that the prevalence of malnutrition at baseline was high with 30.1%, 6.7% and 10.8% of the children stunted, wasted and underweight respectively. This is attributed to consumption of cereals, root tubers and dark green vegetables with very little consumption of meat, eggs, milk and milk products. At the centre, the children were fed on maize–meal porridge which hampered their growth. Introduction of soymeal as a fortificant in an experimental study revealed reduced levels of wasting (3.8%) and underweight (5.4%). It is recommended that awareness of the nutritional benefits of soybean should be raised to increase consumption at household level and in the school feeding programs to alleviate protein energy malnutrition.

 

Key words: Malnutrition, school feeding program, soybean complementation.

Contact Author: Florence Wakhu Wamunga, University of Eldoret, 

 

To cite this article:Wakhu-Wamunga, F., Wamunga, J. B. & Rono, A. K. (2018).  Impact of the School Feeding Programs: A Case of Mateka Early Childhood Development Centre, Bungoma County., Journal of African Studies in Educational Management and Leadership  Vol. 9. pp 20-33

 

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  Available online  January- April 2018
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