The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMS DESERVE SUPPORT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H3816-H3818 on June 21, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAMS DESERVE SUPPORT
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, it has been my honor to support global school feeding programs as part of a strategy to reduce hunger among the world's children and to increase their ability to go to school. Along with the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Emerson), I have introduced H.R. 1700, the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Act of 2001.
That bill, which has 116 bipartisan cosponsors, was established as a permanent program in the farm bill reauthorization which the President recently signed into law. If adequately funded, this program will purchase and allocate U.S. commodities and other resources to provide millions of hungry children around the world with a healthy, nutritious meal in a school setting.
{time} 1515
Mr. Speaker, over 300 million of the world's children are hungry. About 130 million of these children do not even go to school. School feeding programs clearly demonstrate that more families send their children to school when a meal is provided. U.S.-supported school feeding programs have documented significant increases in student enrollment, especially among girls. The children become more alert and more capable of learning when better nourished. More children advance to the next levels, and they acquire skills that help them to be productive members of society.
U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations have long been involved in this effort, working on the front lines, delivering nutritious food to needy children around the world. Two members of my staff recently attended a conference in Indonesia on school feeding programs. The conference sponsors included the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Land O'Lakes. My staff were able to review the Land O'Lakes school feeding model firsthand and to meet other U.S. PVOs involved in the school feeding effort in Indonesia, like Mercy Corps International, ACDI/VOCA, and International Relief and Development. Together, these organizations are feeding over 900,000 schoolchildren.
Land O'Lakes' school feeding endeavor in Indonesia began in November of 2000, with USDA 416(b) commodity donations. Indonesia is the fourth most populace nation in the world, following China, India and the United States. It is also the world's largest Muslim nation. As a result of the economic slowdown and decreasing resources provided to the national government for school feeding initiatives, the nutritional status of Indonesian elementary schoolchildren has deteriorated. The economic situation in the country has encouraged children to leave school early, with young girls being the first to go.
The Land O'Lakes Indonesia program is presently reaching over 450,000 schoolchildren in more than 2,900 schools on the islands of Java. It focuses on local capacity building, making sure all the products used in this program are processed locally. Land O'Lakes works with the three local processors who produce the fortified milk and wheat biscuits that are distributed to schools. This partnership exemplifies how this program can also be a catalyst for strengthening the local food industry.
Land O'Lakes works with Indonesian NGOs in the communities where targeted schools are located. Involving local participation stimulates community empowerment and helps build sustainability and ownership in the implementation and oversight of these programs.
The Land O'Lakes model has been so successful it will be replicated in Vietnam and Bangladesh as part of the Global Food for Education pilot program.
Mr. Speaker, the benefits of these programs are enormous, starting with the positive nutritional impact on children's lives and helping them obtain the education necessary to improve their standard of living. There are also all the auxiliary benefits: facilitating economic development, strengthening social institutions, empowering women, and promoting stable democratic societies throughout the world. Clearly, these programs play a critical role in any strategy to provide education and improve children's health.
Mr. Speaker, ending hunger among the world's children is achievable. For the first time, we have the instruments at hand to defeat this cruel enemy at a very reasonable cost. All we lack is the political will to do so.
In the weeks ahead, as we debate funding priorities for fiscal years 2003 and 2004, I urge my colleagues to provide the necessary funding for the George McGovern- Robert Dole International Food for Education program.
Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a memorandum on the recent school feeding conference in Indonesia:
Indonesia School Feeding Conference Trip Report--May 13th-17th
May 13th-17th 2002, The Indonesia School Feeding Conference was held in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia. It was an opportunity for participants to observe USDA funded school feeding programs and to meet other U.S. program sponsors, local NGO's, private processors, government representatives and USDA officials involved in the school feeding effort.
U.S. Private Voluntary Organizations have been involved in this effort, working on the front lines, delivering nutritious food to children in needy areas around the world. In Indonesia alone, Land O'Lakes, ACDII/VOCA and Mercy Corps and IRD are feeding over 900,000 school children.
Also present at the conference were those directly involved in Indonesian school feeding such as local government officials, US government officials, The Yayasan Bina Putra Sejahtera, Tetra Pak and local processors such as Indolakto, Ultrajaya Milk Industry and Trading Company and Prima Japfa Jaya. Additionally, those that collaborate and provide support to the school feeding movement were in attendance such as the American Soybean Association, The US Pea and Lentil Council, and Cindy Bulh and Keith Stern of Congressman Jim McGovern's staff.
The first day of the conference was spent in Jakarta where participants familiarized themselves with the various participants involved in school feeding.
The Land O'Lakes Indonesia program is presently reaching over 490,000 school children in more than 2,900 schools in Java, Jakarta, Bali and Lombok. Land O'Lakes program methodology focuses on local capacity building by having all the school feeding products processed locally. Land O'Lakes works with three local processors who produce fortified UHT milk packages and wheat biscuits that are then distributed to schools and consumed by the children. This partnership exemplifies how this program can be a catalyst for food industry improvement and growth.
Identifying established and viable community-based non-governmental organizations and community based organizations is an important and necessary step to promote ownership of the program in communities where targeted schools are located. On Java, the partnering NGO Yayasan Bina Putra Sejahtera is Land O'Lakes lead partner working with schools, government at the provincial level, and other organizations to help program implementation go smoothly. Also they are responsible for compiling attendance and enrollment data.
This demonstrates how this program can stimulate community empowerment and by involving local participation builds sustainability and ownership in the implementation and oversight of these programs.
The ACDI/VOCA/Mercy Corps program is working to produce and distribute a soy beverage to 220,000 school children in 900 schools in Sumatra; Padang, Bekulu and Lampung. The impacts of this program include improved attendance and nutrition of children in schools, opportunity for health and nutrition educational lessons for participants and enhanced local capacity.
The International Relief and Development Program is currently implementing a pilot program that is targeting over 14,500 children in 122 primary schools. IRD produces and distributes noodles to children using USDA provided wheat and defatted soy flour. IRD works with American Soybean Association, US Wheat, Land O'Lakes and YBPS and local NGOs.
Tuesday was a special day as the Yayasan Bina Putra Sejahtera hosted a School Feeding Media Event at the National Museum in Jakarta. Program highlights were recounted for the media and Dennis Volbroil, agriculture attache for the US Department of Agriculture in Jakarta was recognized for his dedication to school feeding. Students picked as winners in the Yayasan Poster Conference were given school scholarships.
Tuesday evening the participants boarded a train for Bandung, the second largest city in Indonesia. While in Bandung, participants witnessed students consuming their milk in a local school and were able to meet with school officials to discuss roles, responsibilities and results. Next, Participants toured the Ultrajaya Processing Plant where they observed product manufacturing.
On Thursday of the conference, Rolf Campbell of Land O'Lakes International Division presented on the importance of applying food technology and specifically highlighted the role private sector plays to develop, promote, and distribute high nutritional value foods specifically positioned for nutritionally deficient populations, especially low income and at risk groups including those living with HIV/AIDS;
Mr. Campbell then facilitated a panel discussion of private food industry representatives to highlight new products from dairy, soybean, wheat, and pea/lentil/rice. Each panel member covered the nutritional benefit and versatility of dairy products; the criteria used to develop products including costs; an introduction to two or three new products; and the vision of product ``sustainability'' in feeding and commercial markets.
The panel discussion ended with Rolf Campbell summarizing the impacts the private food industry can accomplish when industry resources are mobilized around food aid innovation and acting collectively.
On Friday of the conference, the day focused on how school feeding program stakeholders can strengthen the impacts of local capacity building and long-term school feeding sustainability during the implementation and support from U.S. and other international donations are available.
The first speaker was Dr. Maknuri Muchlas, Secretary General, Department of National Education for the Government of Indonesia. He stated his appreciation to the Government of the U.S. for providing commodity to support school feeding of some 900,000 primary school children on four islands of Indonesia. The fact that U.S. donations will continue and allow the expansion of feeding programs to more islands is enthusiastic news to not only the Ministry of National Education, but also to the entire nation of Indonesia.
The Ministry of National Education, through Tim Pembina Usaha Kesehatan Sekolah plays the lead role in supporting the U.S. funded programs by identifying schools to be recipients of feeding activities, coordinating all agencies with school feeding, and preparing the schools for administering and reporting results of the program.
Recently, the Ministry of Education started a school-feeding program with the focus of improving the level of primary school and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah children living in poor remote areas. This program is administered by the local government and has been quite successful. In a national level, it will be important for PVOs and NGOs to learn from the governments experience on how to successful reach schools in very remote areas. These communities have the greatest need of school feeding support.
The next presenter on the subject of local capacity building was Salvacion Bulatao, Director, National Dairy Authority (NDA), Department of Agriculture, Government of the Philippines. Ms. Bulatao's main message is that ``Milk does not only build strong bones, it also helps build a strong nation. Through the Philippine School Milk Feeding Program, government support seeks to improve the nutritional well being of school children and preschoolers while at the same time create additional sources of income for rural families. Clearly stated by Ms. Bulatao, school milk feeding accomplishes two objectives: provides healthy food for the children; and jobs and daily cash flows to farm families. Today, the Government of the Philippines is providing funding to feed more than 200,000 primary school and pre-school children. The milk products to be distributed are purchased locally from processors and dairy cooperatives. In 2001, the volume of milk purchased from the dairy industry was 1.08 million liters which had a value of $US 1.55 million. This translates to the individual farmer who is providing milk to the program as significant additional income. It has been calculated by NDA that total income of a farmer (2 milking cows that produce 8 liters of milk per day can generate the equivalent of US$ 636.20 during two school feeding cycles. Ms. Bulatao strongly recommended that future U.S.-funded feeding efforts in Philippines strongly consider the NDA model. She looks forward to a strong working partnership with Land O'Lakes and Tetra Pak in the years to come.
Edgar Collins is President of Prima Japfa Jaya, a supplier of finished school milk feeding products distributed in the southwest of Java and soon to the island of Bali and Lombok through the Land O'Lakes program. Mr. Collins spoke about the role played by the private sector to develop products that meet the tastes and nutritional demands of school kids with today's technology and quality control standards. The processor also has the responsibility in creating awareness of product goodness for school and after-school consumption--this is key to continued consumption of nutritional liquid food in and beyond school. The role of processor in promotion and consumer awareness is vitally important if the program is to be sustained with local government support and private sector donations. The immediate, short and long-term impact of school feeding programs on the good foods industry is significant. Mr. Collins stated that as a result of his firm's involvement in school feeding and having his firm's quality product distributed (brand located on side panel of milk package) to more than 200,000 children, the brand recognition has translated into a stronger commercial position for his dairy products in Indonesia.
The Pakistan delegation presented next the current school milk feeding situation in their country. A major problem in Pakistan is that only 2.8 percent of all milk is hygienically packed and made available to the consumer public. Loose milk, or unpasteurized and packaged milk, can be a major source of digestive health problems and a vector of diseases in the country. There are over 165,755 primary schools and 7,000 Madrassa schools in Pakistan providing education to 18.9 million children. At least 40 percent of school-going children are malnourished. 35 percent of these children are living below the poverty line. Just recently, the government of Pakistan announced new school meal program to target at least 500,000 schoolgirls ages 5 to 12. The amount of funding allocated for the new program is US$50 million. The Pakistan delegation encouraged U.S. school feeding implementers to work with the government's new programs, expand feeding to the Madrassa schools and combine efforts with a strong focus on local capacity building of the dairy production sector with aims to increase the percentage of milk that is being hygienically package. Everyone wins in this situation: farmers receive a more fair price per liter of milk that is clean; processors are able to fully utilize processing capacity and consumers are guaranteed a safe; nutritious and affordable milk product.
Cindy Buhl from the office of Congressman Jim McGovern provided an overview of the current status of food community programs, the Executive Branch review of U.S. food aid programs and recommendations made by the Bush Administration on adjustments and their impacts of U.S. government food commodity programs. Many questions were presented to Ms. Buhl by participants of which most revolved around what can the international development community (PVOs and private sector) do to ensure congressional and Executive Branch support for the Global Food for Education Initiative. Ms. Buhl stated that first and for most, school feeding implementers must continue their excellence in the field, improve monitoring and evaluation of program impacts and provide quantitative results in reports back to donors and congressional offices. She also strongly encouraged local governments to state their interest and support directly to the Bush Administration, Congress and USDA/USAID for continuing and receiving U.S. government school feeding programs in their country. Ms. Buhl commented on the power of observing a school feeding program in action and seeing the exuberance and passion for learning and contributing to helping hundreds of thousands of school children reach their full potential and maximizing their contribution to society is an overwhelming experience. She highly recommended to the group to seek ways to get more congressional representatives to see these programs in action. The presentation was concluded with a strong statement of the importance of partnerships and commitment by governments, private sector and non-government organizations to work together to constantly enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of feeding our future leaders.
Beth Sheehy and Kristin Penn from Land O'Lakes International Division presented the multiple benefits generated from a school feeding program--especially programs supported by the private sector in close partnerships with local government and community of whom all have their unique capacities that make school feeding programs a LONG-TERM success.
The conference ended on a high note with participants armed with a comprehensive education on how a school-feeding program is implemented in the field and what needs to be done to expand these programs and create momentum for the global school feeding effort.
____________________
