Brasilia, March 10, 2023 - The project Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean, carried out within the framework of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation, presented its plan of activities for the year 2023 in a virtual event held on March 8. The meeting was translated into Portuguese, Spanish and English.

The regional project is developed by the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), the National Fund for Educational Development of the Ministry of Education (FNDE/MEC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Najla Veloso, coordinator of the project, opened the event by thanking the presence of around 80 professionals from Latin American and Caribbean countries, saying that it is very important that managers are informed of the programming of the Brazil-FAO Cooperation for 2023 and also consider the activities in their annual schedules. "We count on the leading role of the countries in this annual agenda," she invited.

Paola Barbieri, ABC project analyst, pointed out ABC's support in all activities. Similarly, Edenilza Carvalho and Luciana Gottschall, representing FNDE, stressed the institution's commitment to international cooperation. Israel Ríos, from the FAO, highlighted the important role that the Brazil-FAO Cooperation has developed in the LAC region for more than 13 years, underscoring its leadership in actions to strengthen the school feeding policy.

The activities were presented in five axes of action, highlighted below:

Publications produced by the Brazil-FAO Cooperation:

• Document on regulatory frameworks in school feeding - a publication that addresses the role of regulatory frameworks in strengthening school feeding policy, with a step by step, challenges and opportunities. It will be available in the coming months in Spanish and English.
• Study: Situational State of Sustainable Schools - executive summary now available in 4 languages: French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. 
• Manuals: Guides for Sustainable Schools - review and layout of guides for the implementation of the methodology - available in Spanish, English and French.
• Study: Panorama of school feeding - regional document that will address the progress, challenges and opportunities for school feeding in the region.
• Document: Systematization of the 14-year experience of Brazil-FAO Cooperation in school feeding.
• Production of a video highlighting the progress and main results of this cooperation. 
• Study of the impact of training with students who graduated from the ‘Diplomado’, a course carried out in 2019 with participants from El Salvador, Honduras, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
• Systematization document of the Joint Strategy with the Caribbean and Latin America. 
• Scientific article reviewing school feeding programmes in the LAC region.

International technical missions with the participation of the countries

• Mission to carry out the second stage of the course with professionals from the Caribbean, in the Dominican Republic, from March 13 to 17 (participants from the Caribbean).
• Technical visit with participants from the Dominican Republic in Brazil, in May 2023 (several countries).
• Technical mission and visit to a Latin American country - participation of around 10 countries. 

Face-to-face events

• Organization of a training event for tutors and teacher training, from April 11 to 13, in Panama.
• Organization of the II International Congress of School Feeding and International Event of the RAES, with a focus on EAN, from May 22 to 26 in Brasília, Brazil.
• Active participation in the Latin American Nutrition Congress, in Cuenca, Ecuador, from October 22 to 26.
• CELAC/CARICOM high-level meeting - to be defined.
• Final project closure event - to be defined.

Virtual events

• Meetings of the RAES Technical Committee - different agendas throughout 2023.
• Launch events for the publications and the podcast series on Sustainable Schools.
• Third stage of training with Caribe - April 25.
• Opening and closing of training courses approved with the support of the Brazil-FAO International Cooperation.

Capacity building

• Promotion of the training of tutors for the course for teachers from 9 countries in Panama, from April 11 to 13.
• Promotion of resources for "Strategic Actions" in favor of the SF policy in 8 countries.
• Implementation of Sustainable Schools in two Caribbean countries.
• Promotion of training courses in Sustainable Schools for 6 countries.
• Promotion of the Healthy Life Course in Portuguese for Portuguese-speaking countries