Donor: USDA

Implementing partner: i1d with WFP

Duration: June 2025-June 2029

Objective: Over the five-year project period, WFP, in partnership with Imagine1Day and the Government of Ethiopia, will use the donated commodities and funds provided by USDA to implement a holistic school feeding project in Ethiopia focused on achieving the following objectives:

  • Reduce short-term hunger and improve attentiveness, enrolment and student attendance, especially for girls through the provision of school meals;

  • Improve literacy of students and quality of education through the novel implementation of the “Teaching at the Right Level” approach in Ethiopia;

  • Strengthen the quality of school infrastructure, with a focus on improving access to water to support safe school meals preparation and improved sanitation and hygiene;

  • Strengthen local food systems through local procurement of food and investment in agricultural productivity and establish linkages from smallholder farmers to schools;

  • Strengthen capacity of school administration and communities to manage the school meals program; and

  • Strengthen the capacity of the Government of Ethiopia to plan, design, finance, implement, scale, and monitor the National School Feeding Program.

Summary of intervention: Over five years (2025–2029), WFP, in partnership with Imagine1Day and the Government of Ethiopia, will implement a holistic school feeding project supported by USDA. The initiative targets 573 schools in Afar and Oromia, benefiting 153,439 students annually. Key objectives include reducing short-term hunger, improving student literacy through the “Teaching at the Right Level” approach, enhancing school infrastructure with a focus on WASH, strengthening local food systems, and building government and community capacity to sustain the National School Feeding Program.

USDA will supply fortified rice, cereal, and oil, while locally procured beans and government-provided salt complete the food basket. Transition to government ownership begins in Year 3. Complementary activities will train over 8,000 stakeholders, including government officials, teachers, farmers, and community members, to improve education quality, gender equity, nutrition practices, and food systems. The project integrates lessons from prior McGovern-Dole programs to mitigate risks and ensure sustainability.

Beneficiaries: 185,327 (74,130 females)