Mauritania is paving the way for sustainable school meals programming through the USDA-funded McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition program. Since 2019, Counterpart has implemented the project in the Brakna and Gorgol regions under “The Future is Ours,” and recently expanded into the Tagant region with “Bridging the Future.” We have served over 45 million meals with our local partners since its inception.
Students from the government school of Bouhdida in the Brakna region enjoy a hot school meal.
In October 2024, the government will take on the school feeding program of 21 out of 209 schools that participated in our McGovern-Dole program, a move that affects 4,251 students. The government first launched its own school meals program in 2021, benefiting 54,237 students in 485 schools. This landmark initiative marks a significant commitment to the well-being of Mauritanian children.
The combined efforts of Counterpart, USDA, and the government of Mauritania set a precedent for other nations to follow, showcasing the power of collaboration and the importance of investing in the next generation.
The Path to Sustainability
School feeding has come a long way in Mauritania since its origins in the 1960s, following the country’s independence. Initially, school meals were largely supported by external organizations. Recognizing the importance of school meals, the government has taken steps to establish a more sustainable program. These efforts led to the creation of the school feeding department within the Ministry of Education, and the development of a comprehensive school feeding policy, which was approved by the national parliament and the government of Mauritania in 2016. This policy laid the groundwork for a more structured and nationally supported program.
Starting in 2019, the government took a more active role the school feeding program under President Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani’s administration. It created Taazour, a department dedicated to countering poverty through social safety nets, in 2019, the year Counterpart first began its McGovern-Dole project Counterpart had already worked in Mauritania through various U.S. government-funded projects since the mid-2000s and was a leading implementor of school feeding programs in Cameroon, Senegal, and Mozambique at the time.
President Ghazouani visiting a McGovern-Dole project school in the Gorgol region.
The McGovern-Dole school feeding programs in Brakna, Gorgol, and Tagant—alongside local partners Ecodev, ONG Actions, and ARED—have coincided with the government’s renewed focus on supporting vulnerable populations, including children in remote rural areas.
In January 2020, the ministers of Education, Commission of Food Security, and Taazour, and their staff, visited a participating school in Brakna to learn from its successes and challenges. According to Ine Bouye Sidaty, director of school feeding, “This visit was critical along the arrival of the new administration in 2019 under the leadership of His Excellency Mohamed Ould El-Ghazouani, who made school feeding a priority in his [administration], we took an important additional step toward the success of the school feeding initiative in the country by creating under the national budget a line for the school feeding.”
The president affirmed his commitment by attending the launch of the first McGovern-Dole program in Mauritania along with the first lady and national, regional, and local officials in the government school of Mbout, a remote school in the Gorgol region in November 2020.
The Tools for Success
Counterpart has been pivotal in supporting the national program by providing technical assistance through training government staff in commodity management and supplying essential tools for monitoring and management.
Today, our commodity management tools have been adapted by the government’s school feeding programs. Additionally, Counterpart facilitated exchange visits and international seminars in Senegal, Benin, and the U.S., and hosted three sustainability workshops to discuss long-term strategies. In 2020, Counterpart and the Mauritanian government signed an agreement to clearly define the responsibilities of each party, fostering a transparent and collaborative relationship.
Results that Last
The commitment of the Mauritanian government to implement school feeding in 21 project schools underscores our strong partnership and the government’s dedication to sustainability. Additionally, the government has provided the McGovern-Dole projects with three warehouses and three staff members under its national budget.
Today, the Mauritanian government allocates an annual budget of more than $5 million to the school feeding program, impacting more than 100,000 students from 1,001 schools. Plans are in place to increase this budget by 20% as part of the next five-year education plan from 2025 to 2030. This financial commitment ensures that more children will receive nutritious meals, supporting their education and overall development. Counterpart President and CEO Dr. Ann Hudock applauds the efforts. “Our government partners are truly leading transformational change. It is an honor to support and work with them.”
Mauritania’s journey towards a sustainable school feeding program is a testament to the government’s commitment to its children’s future.
