Brasília, Brazil, August 2, 2023 - The teacher training course in Food and Nutrition Education (FNE) in Ecuador was officially inaugurated on Thursday, July 27, during the virtual official opening event of the regional teacher training initiative, promoted by the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation, together with the FAO Representation and the Government of Ecuador.

The Brazil-FAO International Cooperation on school feeding has been implemented by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC/MRE), the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE/MEC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization, through the project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean. This Cooperation seeks to provide tools to countries on various topics related to the school feeding policy. 

This year, after the suggestion of the countries in the event of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) in 2022, the Cooperation promotes the training of teachers in Latin America. The focus is to support the planning and implementation of projects and/or actions focused on Food Education and Nutrition (FNE) linked to school feeding programmes.

The event was opened by Paola Barbieri, ABC/MRE project analyst, who commented that the courses supported by the Brazil-FAO Cooperation will contribute to the training of a large number of teachers in the region. She said they play a strategic role in disseminating and raising awareness of the importance of topics related to school feeding, especially food and nutrition education, within and outside of the school environment.

Fernanda Pacobahyba, president of the FNDE/MEC, highlighted the importance of training teachers, since they are key actors in shaping the consumption habits of boys and girls, and mentioned the exchange of experiences as an essential factor for the region. "This exchange between Brazil and the countries of Latin America is very productive. We are here to learn, not just teach, and always respect regional particularities. She highlighted the Sustainable School Feeding Network as an extraordinary initiative to strengthen dialogue in school feeding in our region.

"Numerous studies have identified that school feeding programmes have a positive impact in different areas of child well-being, such as education, nutrition and school participation, even more so when they focus on multisectoral benefits," added Israel Ríos, nutrition officer of the FAO.

In his speech, Andrés Chiriboga, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education of Ecuador, said that school feeding programmes are key to affirming the human right to food for school children. He mentioned that they also contribute to strategies to reduce malnutrition, by having a food and nutrition education strategy. "This virtual course seeks to benefit approximately 12 000 Ecuadorian teachers who have previously finished the Course for Food Guides Facilitators," he said. "From the Ministry of Education, efforts will not cease to transform the vision of school feeding, not only as support for families, but increasingly as a State policy."

Najla Veloso, coordinator of the project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean, carried out within the framework of the Brazil-FAO Cooperation, explained the principles of this cooperation that started in 2009. Among the principles are the universalization of school feeding and the offer of healthy food, linked to family farming and food and nutrition education actions. She said that it is essential to strengthen the capacities of teachers, who are so important for this work of "changing lives from school." "For all this, I thank all the institutions - FNDE, ABC, FAO, Governments and our dear teachers - who make this initiative possible".

Participant experiences

In addition to authorities, two course tutors - from Ecuador and Peru - and two participants from the countries had the opportunity to share their experiences. The tutors María Gangotena, from Ecuador, and Milagros Espinoza, from Peru, explained the dynamics of the course.

The teacher Manuel de Jesús, from Nicaragua, said that everything learned will be put into practice. “So that this food and nutrition education does not remain in schools. It must also irradiate families. It is a joy to be able to mix theory and practice," he said. In turn, teacher Esmeralda Ruiz, from El Salvador, shared the food and nutrition education practices implemented in her educational center after participating in training workshops from the Brazil-Cooperation FAO.

Authorities from different governments, professionals linked to the Ecuadorian School Feeding Programme, technical teams from the different FAO Representations in the region, teachers and participating professionals enrolled in the courses of the 8 countries where the training is carried out participated in the event .

Also joining the event were the teams of national tutors from the 8 countries that have implemented the course, and the focal points of the school feeding project of the FAO Representations and the Governments of Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic.