IFPRI: Food for Education: Feeding Minds Reduces Poverty

FOOD FOR EDUCATION:
Feeding Minds Reduces Poverty

Photos and Stories from Bangladesh

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ONE FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE

"We have never starved since Amina started going to school."

Kader Ali, and his wife, Mariam, live with their three children in Kochukata village in Northern Bangladesh. They had four children, but their second child, a boy, died before age four. Both Kader and Mariam are illiterate. Kader works as a farm laborer, and Mariam works as a maid in a neighboring house on a part-time basis. Their eldest son, Majid, about 14, never attended school. He collects firewood, which he sells in the village.

Kader and Mariam have a nine-year old daughter, Amina, and a four-year old son, Khaled. Amina goes to a local primary school.

"We would not have sent Amina to school if we did not receive the monthly free wheat ration from the government's [Food for Education] program. Instead, she would have looked after Khaled so that her mother could work full time," Kader said.

"But we have made the right choice. Our Amina studies hard, and her teacher told us that she is one of the best students in the class," Mariam said proudly.

Kader nodded. "She is right. Amina is our pride. Before she went to school, we had to starve from time to time, particularly during the September-October lean season, when we could not find work to earn enough to feed our family. But we have never starved since Amina started going to school. We have been receiving about 15 kilograms of wheat every month from the program. I sometimes sell a portion of the wheat ration when I run short of cash to buy other necessities. The program benefits us quite a bit." Kader concluded.

Students participate in morning physical training exercises before school begins. This school, located in the village of Bhawal Chadpur in Bangladesh, participates in the Food for Schooling Program.

Photo from Bangladesh
Akhter Ahmed, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, with children at a successful Food for Schooling program in rural Bangladesh.

SUPPORT FROM THE EDUCATORS

"Maybe the non-poor are losing a little, but the poor are gaining a lot."

Abdul Jabbar is headmaster of a primary school in a village near Dhaka. Mr. Jabbar is very enthusiastic about the Food for Schooling program. He was approached by an IFPRI researcher, who asked him about overcrowding and the decreasing quality of education caused by increased enrollment. Mr. Jabbar responded, "Education quality? Well, maybe the non-poor are losing a little, but the poor are gaining a lot. So, the net result is an improvement in the level of education for the community as a whole." He continued, "You see, many poor families are now sending their children to school because they get free wheat rations every month. I know that this is not happening in other villages where there is no FFS program. So, yes, our classrooms are very crowded, and yes, the average quality of education suffers as a consequence. But this would not have happened if the capacity of my school had been expanded and more teachers were hired, or a new school was built to cater to the increased demand for education."

A surveyor from the International Food Policy Research Institute interviews families to gather information on the effects of Food for Schooling in rural Bangladesh.

Photo from Bangladesh
Akhter Ahmed, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, visits a Food for Schooling primary school in Bhawal Chadpur village in the Gazipar District of Bangladesh.

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