By Gillian Smith, FAO Representative
The school feeding programme in Guyana dates as far back as forty (40) years ago and continues to positively impact the nutrition and health of children and adolescents receiving nursery, primary or secondary education which represents some 48.6% of the total student population in the country.
In Guyana, the National School Feeding Programme is divided into four (4) sub programmes. These are; the Peanut butter and Cassava Bread Snack Programme, the Community-Based Hot Meal Programme, the Juice and Biscuit Snack Programme, and more recently, added the Breakfast Programme.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) School Feeding Programmes provided school meals to about 388 million schoolchildren in 161 countries, making these programmes the most extensive safety net worldwide.
