Implementation and management of the School Nutrition Service in the Municipalities of Maputo and Pemba in Mozambique

The Feasibility study for the introduction of the school nutrition system is integrated within the broader “Particidade” project financed by the Italian Agency for Cooperation and development AICS, involving the Municipalities of Milan, of Maputo, Pemba and Reggio Emilia.   

The collaboration of Milan and of its territorial system with the cities of Maputo and Pemba represents a virtuous model of city-to-city cooperation, inspired by a careful and factual examination of the reality and by the conviction that the cities have the strength to devise, test and propose effective and sustainable solutions. These solutions may then contribute to change for the better the policies of governments and of international organizations.

The Study is characterized by the multi-sectorial composition of the research group: Public-Private-Civil Companies-Academic Institutions.

This scientific document does not claim to present a valid solution for everyone, but to provide a public administration with the necessary elements to define new public policies for the creation of a healthy and sustainable school nutrition service, in the municipalities of Maputo and Pemba.

The possibility of providing healthy, sufficient and sustainable feeding to our children is of primary importance and represents a challenge that it is our duty to win, in Milan just like in Maputo and Pemba.

The Italian-Mozambican work group, in addition to an in-depth analysis of the social, economic, educational and health context of Mozambique, has used as a reference three international catering models:

• The Brazilian model of public policy
• The Italian model of “house providing” management
• The Italian model of outsourcing management

The purpose in implementing the school nutrition service identified in this study, is to achieve the following transversal results:

• At school level: cutting down the number of early school leavers and increasing school enrolment rates; as well as increasing school attendance, and improving cognitive capacities of students, based on the principle that well fed children and young people learn more and with greater ease;
• At a social protection level: a greater social and economic inclusion  of children and young people coming from vulnerable contexts, and more in general, of communities, through the sharing of meals, the support of local production activities and the creation of new jobs;
• At food safety level: by implementing the project at a municipal level, there will be an incentive for local farmers to produce and sell their products to a guaranteed local market  (the school), with the consequent creation of synergies between school, the community and the institutions. Moreover, with the supply of healthy meals, by fighting against chronic malnutrition at a local level, the project will encourage the emergence of additional local food safety projects. Besides being an educational component for students, dietary education will also help families develop healthy eating habits, using existing local resources.

The realization of an integrated service of school nutrition creating synergies between local rural communities, schools and institutions, has the purpose of improving the life quality of the Maputo and Pemba populations and has the ambition of becoming a replicable itinerary model aimed at improving the systems of territorial governance and of services, through the institutional strengthening and the enhancement of competencies of the municipalities in Mozambique.

This study represents for us an important contribution to the in-depth analysis of a crucial issue and, at the same time, a stimulus to find bold solutions. Forming part of these is the introduction of a system of effective school canteens, to meet the challenge of the development of the young generations, the central driving force of the sustainable growth of a country.

You may download the full report in Portuguese and Italian.

Stakeholders involved in this study include the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)- Maputo Office, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia, the Municipality of Milan, Fondazione E35, Milano Ristorazione, AVSI, the City of Maputo, the Municipality of Pemba and CIRFOOD.