Foreign Assistance: Global Food for Education Initiative Faces	 
Challenges for Successful Implementation (28-FEB-02, GAO-02-328).
								 
At the July 2000 Group of Eight industrialized countries' summit,
President Clinton proposed a Global Food for Education Initiative
(GFEI) whereby developed countries would provide school 	 
breakfasts or lunches to needy children in poor countries. The	 
aim of the initiative is to contribute to education for all by	 
using school meals to attract children to school, keep them	 
attending once they enroll, and improve learning. At the same	 
time, the president announced a one-year, $300 million pilot food
for education program to be administered by the U.S. Department  
of Agriculture (USDA) to jump-start the proposed global effort.  
Research and expert views on the effectiveness of school feeding 
programs indicate that the programs are more likely to have	 
positive results when they are carefully targeted and integrated 
with other educational, health, and nutritional interventions. In
designing and setting up the pilot program, USDA did not build on
some important lessons from previous school feeding programs.	 
Although USDA expects more than eight million children to benefit
from the pilot program, the structure, planning, and management  
thus far do not reasonably ensure that the program's objectives  
will be attained. Representatives of most other donor countries  
GAO interviewed said their governments were either noncommittal  
about, or unwilling to provide, substantial support for a	 
comprehensive, long-term food for education program. This lack of
support is problematic because the United States envisioned a	 
multilateral program with other donors funding about		 
three-quarters of the program's total cost. GFEI seems unlikely  
to attract much support from other donors unless the United	 
States adopts a permanent program not dependent on surplus	 
agricultural commodities and/or unless the pilot program	 
demonstrates strong, positive results.				 
-------------------------Indexing Terms------------------------- 
REPORTNUM:   GAO-02-328 					        
    ACCNO:   A02813						        
  TITLE:     Foreign Assistance: Global Food for Education Initiative 
Faces Challenges for Successful Implementation			 
     DATE:   02/28/2002 
  SUBJECT:   Developing countries				 
	     Disadvantaged persons				 
	     Food programs for children 			 
	     Food relief programs				 
	     Foreign aid programs				 
	     International cooperation				 
	     International food programs			 
	     International relations				 
	     Global Food for Education Initiative		 
	     UN World Food Program				 

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GAO-02-328
     
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