House Committee Recognizes Importance of Food Distribution in Schools

On June 24, the House International Relations Committee approved, by voice vote, a resolution (H. Con. Res. 422) calling on the administration to work with the United Nations to expand programs distributing food in schools to hungry and malnourished children. The Senate approved an identical resolution (S. Con. Res. 114) on June 3 (see The Source, 6/4/04).

Sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• There are more than 300 million chronically hungry and malnourished children in the world;
• The distribution of food in schools is one of the simplest and most effective strategies in fighting hunger and malnourishment among children;
• When school meals are offered to hungry and malnourished children, attendance rates increase significantly, particularly for girls;
• Improvement in the education of girls is one of the most important factors in reducing child malnutrition in developing countries;
• Girls who attend school tend to marry later in life and have fewer children, thereby helping them escape a life of poverty; and
• A recent Department of Agriculture evaluation found that the Global Food for Education Initiative pilot program created measurable improvements in school attendance for girls, increased local employment and economic activity, produced greater involvement in local infrastructure and community improvement projects, and increased participation by parents in the schools and the education of their children.