Brasília, Brazil, August 30, 2023 - With the participation of 80 professionals, the virtual course 'School Feeding as a Strategy for a Healthy Life' started in Honduras. The course aims to provide training for educational managers and administrators from all departments across the country, as well as technical teams from public institutions related to school nutrition and those interested in food education and nutrition initiatives.

The training is targeted at educational managers in 16 departments of the country, including Choluteca, Colón, Comayagua, Copán, Cortés, Francisco Morazán, Gracias a Dios, Intibucá, Islas de la Bahía, La Paz, Lempira, Santa Bárbara, Ocotepeque, Olancho, Valle, and Yoro. It also includes technical teams from public institutions associated with school nutrition and interested parties at large.

Participants are from the Secretary of Education (SEDUC), the Secretary of Social Development through the National School Feeding Programme (PNAE), the Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG) through the National Programme for Rural and Urban Sustainable Development (PRONADERS), and the Municipal Mayor's Office of the Central District (AMDC).

The course's objective is to train professionals in the fields of education, nutrition, social development, and agriculture to plan, develop, and implement food education and nutritional actions within the educational system, in a comprehensive and ongoing manner.

"As part of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), Honduras has made efforts to promote dialogue, build capacities, and exchange experiences and information, with the aim of consolidating school feeding programmes in the Latin America and Caribbean region and facilitating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals," remarked Fátima Espinal, the Resident Representative of FAO, during the opening session.

The training will span eight weeks and encompass a workload of 170 hours. Covered topics will include healthy eating, nutrition and health, food throughout the lifecycle, food hygiene, food and nutritional security, and school feeding menus.

This course is conducted within the framework of the project "Consolidation of School Feeding Programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean," implemented 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).

In response to suggestions from countries during the 2022 Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES) event, the project has expanded its scope this year to offer training to Latin American educators. This initiative supports the planning and implementation of projects and actions with a focus on Food and Nutrition Education (FNE) and their alignment with school feeding programmes. The training draws upon the methodological experience of "Sustainable Schools," which encompasses FNE as one of its six components.