29/09/2026
What Happens When a School Meal Becomes More Than Just a Meal?
On Saturday, 26 September 2026, nearly 60 stakeholders gathered in Bum Sub-Division, Boyo Division, North-West Region of Cameroon, for a stakeholder reflection and coordination workshop on the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme.
The gathering brought together representatives of the Government of Cameroon through the Divisional Officer, the Inspectorate of Basic Education, Fonfuka Council, Boyo Division, traditional authorities including Jull Palace, Ngunabum, Cameroon, Head Teachers, Parent-Teacher Associations, farmer groups and community stakeholders.
The purpose was simple but important: to reflect on what the programme has achieved, the changes stakeholders are seeing in schools and communities, the challenges encountered, and what is needed to take the programme forward.
And the feedback was powerful.
🗣️ “This programme is not just about meals.”
The Mayor of Fonfuka Council, Boyo Division captured the broader impact of the intervention: “This programme is not just about meals. It has strengthened school performance, relieved struggling families and encouraged school attendance.”
The Inspector of Basic Education described as: “A blessing to the Basic Education family in Bum.” He highlighted the significant improvement in school participation and performance and expressed his wish that the programme could expand to benefit all primary schools in Bum.
The Divisional Officer, representing the Government of Cameroon, also reflected on the changes he had personally observed: “I have observed children stay in school and I have also seen them now well nourished.” He further noted that the programme appears to have multiple impacts across education, health and nutrition, agriculture, local business and more, and expressed the desire to see it reach more children and incorporate complementary activities.
These reflections matter because they come from the very stakeholders who work closest to the children, schools and communities.
📊 And the numbers tell an important story
Since its beginnings in 2022, Community Vision Group - CVG Community Vision Group's programme has evolved significantly. In 2022, the programme reached over 1,300 children in 8 schools, providing a meal once a week. In 2026, with the transformative support of Rise Against Hunger, the programme entered an intensive pilot phase, expanding to 16 beneficiary primary schools and reaching 2,200+ pupils.
During pilot phase:
🍲 105,628 nutritious meals were served
🏫 16 schools participated in the programme
👧🏾👦🏾 2,200+ pupils were reached
📚 95.28% average school attendance rate was recorded
🎯 0.37% dropout rate was recorded
🌱 16 farmer groups involving 108 members were engaged
🌿 School gardens continued to produce fresh vegetables to complement meals and provide practical agricultural learning.
The programme's quarterly review documented the 95.28% attendance rate and 0.37% dropout rate, reflecting strong learner participation and retention during the reporting period.
At school level, the results were also encouraging. At IPS Mungong, enrolment increased by 13%, from 92 to 104 learners, with zero dropouts recorded during implementation and a 95.2% promotion rate. At CBS Fonfuka, 151 learners were enrolled, with zero dropouts, a 74.8% promotion rate and 100% graduation among eligible learners.
🌱 But Nourish2Flourish is also about farmers
Through the programme's Local Procurement Mechanism, school feeding is creating opportunities for smallholder farmers to participate in supplying food to schools. During the second quarter alone, over 4,500 kg of beans were procured, providing a market opportunity for local farmers while contributing to the local food economy. Across the programme, 16 farmer groups with 108 members have been engaged. This is what makes the home-grown approach so important: the meal on a child's plate can also create a market for food produced by a farmer in the same community.
🌿 And the children are growing food too!
School gardens have become another important component of the programme. Three schools — GS Fonfuka, CBS Fonfuka and GS Mulung — recorded production of:
🥬 53.98 kg of huckleberry
🎃 12 kg of pumpkin
🌿 3 kg of basil and leeks
The produce complemented school meals while giving children practical opportunities to learn about agriculture, food production and nutrition.
🤝 The workshop was also about honesty
The stakeholders did not only celebrate the achievements.
They discussed the challenges. Delayed funding affected the delivery of planned meals during Quarter 2. Heavy rainfall, limited availability of volunteer cooks and the peak farming season also affected implementation.
But the programme adapted.
Previously procured bean stocks and vegetables from school gardens were used to sustain feeding, while the team maintained routine monitoring, communication with schools and stakeholders, and developed recovery plans.
The workshop therefore provided an opportunity to discuss what needs to improve as the programme expands. The workshop's participatory approach was specifically designed to bring stakeholders together to review achievements, identify challenges and agree on practical actions for the next implementation period.
🙏 A partnership worth celebrating
Community Vision Group remains deeply grateful to Rise Against Hunger for the partnership and support that made the intensive 2026 pilot possible. This partnership has helped demonstrate what a community-driven school feeding programme can achieve when food, education, agriculture and community participation are brought together.
As implementation continues through December 2026, Community Vision Group - CVG from the inception of the programme in 2022 has already cumulatively served 203,268 healthy and nutritious meals, with the programme projected to approach 300,000 meals by the end of 2026.
The next ambition is even bigger:
➡️ Expand the programme to reach up to 5,000 children with daily meals in 2027.
➡️ Build toward Community Vision Group's 2030 ambition of reaching at least 25,000 children across Cameroon with daily healthy and nutritious meals in their places of education, particularly in conflict-affected communities.
At an estimated cost of approximately US$0.30 per child per day, the opportunity is significant.
💙 The message from Bum is clear
Children need food to learn. Schools need support to keep children engaged. Families in conflict zones need relief. Farmers need markets. Communities need opportunities to participate in solutions. And conflict-affected children deserve the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive.
Nourish2Flourish is showing that a school meal can be the beginning of something much bigger.
- It can be a meal.
- It can support attendance.
- It can strengthen local agriculture.
- It can create markets.
- It can bring stakeholders together.
- And it can help restore hope.
Our vision remains unchanged: A society free from classroom hunger, where no child learns on an empty stomach.
What should we prioritise as we take Nourish2Flourish to more children and more communities in 2027?
Share your thoughts below. 👇🏾
Open Dreams
Gilbert Ngwaneh Miki
UK in Cameroon
North West Regional Assembly
Ministère de la Santé Publique du Cameroun
MINREX, Ministère des Relations Extérieures du Cameroun
Ministère de la Décentralisation et du Développement Local -Minddevel-
Rise Against Hunger
World Food Programme
School Meal Program
Rockefeller Foundation
IDRC / CRDI
Novo Nordisk Foundation
