When was the last time you were really hungry? Did your stomach ever hurt so badly because of hunger that you could not do anything but think of food? Have you ever had to learn for an exam with a grumbling tummy? It’s difficult to imagine what a malnourished and hungry child must feel like when sitting in school trying to learn. On World Food Day, let’s consider the magnitude of this problem: • 870 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of them live in developing countries (FAO) • 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone. • 5 million children under five die each year in developing countries due to under-nutrition (UNICEF) • 1 out of 4 children – roughly 146 million – in developing countries is underweight (UNICEF) We know that it is more difficult for children to learn without adequate food and nutrition. It is a crucial factor for learning and education. A daily school meal helps children learn better and it provides a strong incentive for poor parents to send their children to school. It allows children to focus on their studies, rather than their stomachs. And school meals don’t cost much: • According to the World Food Program (WFP), it costs just 25 cents to fill a cup with porridge, rice or beans and give a monthly ration to take home. • And just 50 dollars feeds a child for an entire school year. According to WFP, the benefits of school feedings are: • better health and increased learning due to improved micronutrient intake; • kids stay in school longer, helping them to learn more; • girls’ school attendance is increased; • more resources for poor households; • spin offs to community development and local production, in particular when food is being sourced from poor, small-holding farmers. Today is World Food Day and there is a lot you can do to help one of the 66 million hungry children to get an education. Get involved: • Join WFP’s initiative on World Food Day and ensure that a child get a nutritious school meal. (It’s just three simple steps). • Join Oxfam’s initiative: Host a dinner on the occasion of World Food Day • Support ActionAid’s campaign to fight the food crisis in West Africa Learn more: • Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF): How School Feeding Can Improve Both Education And Wealth • WFP: Two Minutes to learn About School Meals (PDF) • WFP: School Meals in Depth • School Meals: Key Publications