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The Government of Sierra Leone, through the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE), is set to launch a nationwide stakeholder sensitization and awareness campaign aimed at strengthening the implementation of the National School Feeding Programme across the country’s fifteen operational districts.
The ten-day exercise is designed to deepen collaboration, increase public awareness, and promote greater accountability among stakeholders involved in the delivery of the programme. Participants will include local councils, district education authorities, school management committees, traditional leaders, farmers, civil society groups, and community representatives.
According to programme officials, the National School Feeding Programme has played a significant role in improving school enrolment, attendance, pupil retention, and the nutritional well-being of children across participating schools. Despite these gains, officials acknowledge that gaps in stakeholder awareness and community engagement continue to affect programme implementation in some areas.
The sensitization campaign will focus on enhancing public understanding of the programme’s objectives and encouraging greater community ownership. It will also promote active stakeholder participation in monitoring implementation while highlighting the importance of food quality, hygiene, nutrition standards, and transparency in programme delivery.
As part of the campaign, the Ministry will organize district-level stakeholder meetings, community sensitization sessions, school-based engagements, and interactive forums to educate participants and gather feedback aimed at improving programme implementation.
Government officials say the initiative is expected to strengthen coordination among implementing partners, improve community participation, and reinforce accountability mechanisms. They also believe the campaign will contribute to increased school attendance while supporting continuous improvements in the quality, safety, and nutritional value of meals provided to schoolchildren.
The exercise will be conducted in all fifteen operational districts where the National School Feeding Programme is currently being implemented, with monitoring and evaluation activities planned to assess the effectiveness and impact of the campaign.
The Government maintains that sustained stakeholder engagement remains essential to ensuring the long-term success of the National School Feeding Programme and advancing national efforts to improve educational outcomes, child nutrition, and overall human capital development in Sierra Leone.
