The McGovern-Dole Program provides for donations of U.S. agricultural products, as well as financial and technical assistance, for school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects in low-income, food-deficit countries that are committed to universal education.  USDA receives about $100 million of appropriated funding each year for this program and is using the funds to support 33 programs in 28 countries in the developing world.  The program is feeding more than three million children each year. 

This year the World Food Prize, which was created by Dr. Norman Borlaug, a 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner, named former U.S. Ambassador and Senator George McGovern and former U.S. Senator Robert Dole as World Food Prize Laureates for their inspired, collaborative leadership that has encouraged a global commitment to school feeding and enhanced school attendance and nutrition for millions of the world’s poorest children, especially girls.

Since 2000, when USDA established predecessor to the McGovern-Dole program, it has provided meals to feed more than 22 million children in 41 countries and boosted school attendance by an estimated 14 percent overall and by 17 percent for girls.  The program was reauthorized under the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill through 2012.

The success of the McGovern-Dole program has also led to dramatically increased international support for expansion of school-feeding operations in developing countries around the world.  As a result, the WFP’s school-feeding operations have nearly doubled since 2001; in 2006 alone, it fed more than 20-million children in 74 countries.

The multi-year dimension of the McGovern-Dole Program is vital to address comprehensively the issue of chronic hunger.  Moreover, providing meals both at school and through take-home rations provides a powerful incentive for children to remain in school.  Government-to-government partnerships coupled with the important resources provided by the PVOs are vital to sustain these programs and ensure success.

One project that demonstrates the success of this program is being implemented in Honduras by Catholic Relief Services (CRS).  In 2006, USDA donated 4,400 metric tons of food valued at $3.4 million to support CRS’ goal of improving access to quality education in 15 Honduran municipalities located in two departments or provinces where malnutrition exceeds 60 percent.  Over the past two years, the project has provided daily meals to more than 32,700 students in 658 elementary schools.  Take-home rations were delivered to more than 13,000 children under the age of five.  The free school breakfasts and dry rations have allowed parents to use their resources for other purposes.  The program also included the delivery of take-home rations to nearly 7,000 pregnant and lactating women. 

Several complementary activities are being supported by the program that will improve sustainability, education, and hygiene.  More than 120 gardens or fish ponds have been built, teaching parents and schoolchildren new ways to produce food and providing food and income for the schools.  Elementary and pre-school teachers from the schools continue to receive training through organized workshops in mathematics and Spanish.   The program has improved sanitation systems and infrastructure for 77 of the neediest 100 schools.  Work is continuing at the remaining 23 schools.  Employment opportunities have been created through handling and distribution of the food and the construction of the new infrastructure.

Questions or comments can be directed to the Programming Division at 202-720-4221
or via e-mail at PPDED@fas.usda.gov.