SNV in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and Dairy Development Authority, through the School Milk Programme, has impacted the lives of 922,779 school children.
The programme recognized that hunger serves as a barrier to effective learning, leading to reduced concentration in classrooms, heightened fatigue, and a great decline in academic performance. Acknowledging the critical role that nutrition plays in academic success,the programme stood out as an initiative that sought to tackle the challenges hindering students’ learning journeys.
Initiated in 2016 with the support from the Embassy of The Kingdom of the Netherlands, this collaborative effort by SNV and key partners expanded its reach to 2,482 primary schools.
To date, over 922,000 children now receive nutritious meals during school hours, overcoming hunger and significantly reducing absenteeism; A flourishing local market has been established, with schools consuming an average of 125,549 liters daily, translating to an estimated yearly sales value of Shs 33.6 billion and directly impacting dairy farmers’ lives, the programme contributes to an estimated daily income of Shs 126 million, making the dairy sector more sustainable.
Phomolo Maphosa, SNV’s Country Director in Uganda, highlighted that ‘Our School Milk and Yoghurt Programme has reached over 922,000 children. This programme has also ensured a stable market for dairy farmers by creating a daily demand for over 125,500 liters of milk consumed across 2,542 schools, with an estimated annual sales value of UGX 33.6 billion.”
Hans Raadschilders, Thematic expert of Food, Security and Agriculture of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Netherlands said, “The project has leveraged big value through milk sales, it has helped to create a network of companies and operatives. TIDE has worked in collaboration with the government. As the embassy, we are proud of the achievements of TIDE in terms of mindset change, partnership linkages, among others. At the same time, we see that the achievements have been important.”
Acknowledging the work TIDE had done in the previous years, Bwino Fred Kyakulaga, the State Minister for Agriculture noted that ‘SNV put up the necessary system that we need to use to achieve our target. You have created capacity within the private sector and you have educated our farmers. You have set the stage for us to march towards our target. I therefore thank you SNV, as well as all the key actors within this network for your contributions. As the success of the School Milk Programme continues to showcase the power of partnerships, it underscores the need for ongoing support from parents and schools. This triumph demonstrates how working together can address challenges in education and the dairy sector.”
