US Launches $40m School Feeding Project in Mozambique

The United States and Mozambique have launched a six-year school feeding programme backed by 40 million US dollars that is expected to provide 75 million meals to more than 80,000 children annually in Maputo Province.

The “Nourish to Learn” project was launched on September 22, 2026, at Cuanine Primary School in Manhiça District. It will cover 245 primary schools across Magude, Manhiça, Moamba and Matutuíne districts.

Funded by the US Department of Agriculture, the programme will run from October 2025 to September 2031 and will be implemented by Save the Children in coordination with Mozambique’s National School Feeding Program, known as PRONAE, as well as provincial and district authorities.

The programme is intended to increase school enrolment and attendance and improve learning outcomes among students in public primary schools.

The initiative follows a memorandum of understanding signed on May 19 between Mozambique’s Ministry of Education and Culture and Save the Children International in Mozambique under the USDA-funded programme.

At the launch, Abigail L. Dressel, the US chargé d’affaires in Mozambique, said the programme represented an investment in the future of both countries.

Maputo Province Governor Manuel Simão Tule said the programme’s sustainability would depend on cooperation among government institutions, schools and communities, as well as responsible management of the resources provided.

The programme will also seek to strengthen local capacity. Teachers, school principals, members of school councils and district officials will receive training in food safety, nutrition education and digital attendance monitoring.

The Mozambican government has committed to prioritising participating schools as PRONAE expands, with the aim of gradually incorporating the programme’s interventions into the national school feeding system.

The project will distribute more than 9,800 metric tonnes of commodities sourced from US farms. These will be complemented by 2,390 metric tonnes of locally and regionally procured fresh fruits, vegetables, fortified cornmeal and cowpeas.

Implementation will be monitored through a data system shared with Mozambique’s Technical School Feeding Council, known as CTAE, according to the project organisers.

Source: FSX Business News