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It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Professor Tsutomu Takeuchi.Many of you will have already seen the lovely WHO obituary​. It tells of his life as a driving force behind the global momentum that we see today towards the control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases. In both his homeland of Japan and on the global platform, he succeeded in helping change the lives of so many people for the better. He is best known in the scientific community for his seminal work on malaria, but perhaps his major public health contribution was to raise global political awareness of NTDs, especially deworming, through the HashimotoInitiative and its focus on how Japan had in earlier days fought and won the fight against these diseases. He held many esteemed positions, and despite battling ongoing health issues, he still took the time to become a member of the Partnership for Child Development's Advisory Board. He was a great man, a wise man, and always so humble. We all looked to him as a mentor and a font of wisdom, not just about worms, but on life as a whole. He recently invited a few of us to visit Kyoto with him. He was as always the gracious host, taking us to some of the most historically and philosophically important Shinto and Buddhist sites in Japan, introducing us to the culture he loved. He must have known then that this would likely be our last visit together. He was a wonderful person to be around. He was fun, willing and with a very mischievous and infectious smile. He brightened the room.​I write on behalf of all at the Partnership for Child Development​ to send sincere condolences to his family and friends who he held so dear.Takeuchi san, your kind soul will be sorely missed.​Dr Lesley DrakeExecutive Director, PCD​​​

​​​​ ​Last month, 37 school health and nutrition specialists from governments and NGOs in 3 countries took part in the 7th Asia School Health and Nutrition (SHN) training course in Bangkok. The internationally renowned course is designed to develop the capacity of SHN stakeholders from all stages in their career to develop and implement effective and sustainable SHN policies and programmes that can benefit all children. With a focus on shared learning, policy analysis and the latest tools and practices, the course covered health and nutrition management in schools and the importance of SHN policy, skills based health education, school-based health services and a safe school environment. This year's course focussed on equity, inclusion and mainstreaming, including presenting recently published findings and case-studies. The course occurs on an annual basis, with a limited number of places to ensure that participants benefit from a personalised and tailored learning environment. To help share some of the learnings from the course we asked participants to name the tools and resources that they would recommend to their colleagues. - Learn from other countries' experiences Ae Mon Htun– Assistant Director of School Health, Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar​​​​​ ​​Myanmar's Ae Mon Htun​ quotI was interested in strengthening my knowledge of school nutrition so as to support Myanmar's efforts to implement a nationwide school feeding programme that is uniform and sustainable. This something which other countries in the region had successfully implemented. quot quotI wanted to learn how other countries had scaled up their feeding programmes, how they sustained them and what policies they had implemented. A key learning was the importance of gaining cross sectoral buy-in from the Ministries of Health and Education. quot quotYou can learn a lot from each other, identifying potential solutions based on the experiences - both good and bad – that other countries have had. quot quotOn returning home to Myanmar a key task will be to develop a school feeding policy, this means advocacy, awareness raising, technical working groups and raising the interest and commitment from political leaders. quot ​Resources you can use 58​​​​​ Sign up to the Asia SHN Network Facebook pageNetwork and share tools, tips and resources from SHN stakeholders based in Asia. Sign up to the page at www.facebook.com/groups/asianshn​ Download country presentations SHN training courseAll countries that participated in training course gave presentations on the SHN situation in their country and their projected work plans to strengthen SHN. Download the presentations from www.schoolsandhealth.org/Pages/Asia-SHN-Training-Course.aspx ​2 - Get to know your country's policy environment Sajani Prava Bajracharya. - School Meal Programme, World Food Programme Nepal. ​​​​​ Nepal's Sajani Prava Bajracharya. ​ (c) with Thai pupils during a school visit​ quotI attended the course to improve my understanding of how to forumlate school health policies​, how they link together and how different countries use different policies to implement and sustain SHN programmes. I wanted to gain ​a better holistic picture of SHN so that I could better link the school meal programme with other activities and initiatives. quotIn Nepal there are a lot of NGOs working in different regions and on different programmes, this can throw up lots of duplication of activities. This course introduced me to the policy analysis tool SABER or Systems Approach for Better Education Results Framework. quotFor me the SABER was incredibly helpful exercise in analysing SHN in my country, it's almost like going to the doctor to diagnose what the issues are with SHN. quot quotDuring the SABER exercise we realised that Nepal already had a number of policies in place that hadn't been fully implemented due to a lack of funding, community engagement or cross sectoral collaboration. quot quotWhen I go home I'm keen to implement a cross-sectoral programme that works with communities to tackle junk food intake in schools. quot​​​​​​ Resources you can use 58 Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) Framework SABER is framework developed by the World Bank to collect, compare and evaluate education policies from around the world. At the country level, it provides education systems analyses, assessments, diagnosis, and opportunities for dialogue. At the global level, it improves the education systems knowledge base and uses this information to implement effective reforms. Visit the SABER website ​ 3- Integrate both your programmes and your stakeholders Sangay Thinley - Comprehensive School Health Programme, Ministry of Health, Bhutan.Kungzang Deki- School Health and Nutrition Division, Ministry of Education, Bhutan. quotThe focus on integration during this course was very relevant for SHN in Bhutan, both in terms of integrating the work of different sectors and also integrating different interventions. quot​​​​​ Bhutan's Sangay Thinley (R) on a school visit with colleagues from Nepal, Pakistan and Cambodia​ quotIn SHN it's not just health alone, there are many actors, it is at its most effective when there is cross sectoral collaboration. For example in school feeding it involves stakeholders from agriculture, health and education. Unfortunately, from my experience there is still a lot of people working in the own silos or boxes. quot quotBhutan has experience of integrating different interventions such as linking deworming with Vitamin A supplementation, school based health screening and vaccination programmes. We learnt from the initiatives such as the School Health Integrated Programming, that to strengthen and sustain these comprehensive SHN programmes we need to mainstream integration into the country's Education Sector Plans. quot quotWe have included integration as a key framework in the SHN action plan that we will be taking back home with us. We'll be briefing our immediate bosses and developing terms of reference for an integration committee made up of stakeholders to identify how best to implement​ an integrated​ strategy quot Resources you can use 58 School Health Integrated Programming (SHIP)SHIP is a joint Initiative of the World Bank​, Sightsavers and Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development​ with funding from the Global Partnership for Education. It aims to support Governments to develop, implement and mainstream comprehensive inclusive SHN policies and programmes. As part of this work the initiative has developed a suite of manuals and training guidelines to support the education sector in designing an SHN programme. The guidelines cover operationalizing school-based deworming and eye health programmes, and include a teacher's handbook for supporting inclusive SHN in the classroom and the school. Download PDF Download PDF Download PDF ​Download PDF 4 - Use the evidence-base to advocate for SHN Noy Sidavong -Department of Early Childhood Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Laos. Phanyathip Lathasing - Suvannakhet Teacher Training College, Laos. Sitthideth Saengsou​​ly - Department of Education, Provincial Education and Sports Service, Laos. ​​​​​ Noy Sidavong and Sitthideth Saengsouly discussing Laos's action plan with Imperial College's Dr Laura Appleby​ quot​The course provides a lot of relevant evidence and information on how countries have strengthened their school health programmes and policies. We were able to critically assess SHN provision in Laos and use the experiences of other countries to identify ways to strengthen our own programmes. We'll be taking back a number of ideas and approaches to implement once we get back. quot quotIn Laos, we have high primary school dropout rates, in part due to poor health of the children. In the action plan we developed at the end of the week, we've targeted increasing school-based health screening as a means to identify and treat health issues before they force children to drop out. quot quotThere is only a small budget for SHN in Laos so we will need to advocate for funding to support any new screening initiatives. To do this we'll put forward a case to the Ministry which, using the tools and knowledge presented throughout the week by the course tutors and professors, evidences the positive impact that SHN can have on the health and education of children. quot quotWe'll be presenting a report to the Ministry containing the evidence of impact that different SHN interventions will have on ​educational outcomes and the knock on effect this has​ on the wider economy. We'll also be advocating for SHN at a​​ range of meetings highlighting the importance of SHN and what Laos needs gaps are in terms of strengthening its SHN programmes. quot quotLearnings from the course will be included in the teacher training programmes run at both national and regional levels. quot Resources you can use 58 Child and Adolescent Health and Development Vol 8 in Disease Control Priorities Ed 3​​​​​ Download PDFThe latest research findings and evidence for the impact of school health and nutrition have been recently published in a volume of Disease Control Priorities 3rd Edition. This seminal publication is updated once a decade and contains chapters looking at all the issues affecting the health and development of children and adolescents aged 5-9 Lectures and handout materialsAll the materials and lectures presented at the 7th Asia SHN training course are available for download from ​​http 58//www.schoolsandhealth.org/Pages/Asia-SHN-Training-Course.aspx. In addition to the lectures, presentations from a special symposium on Mainstreaming Inclusive ​School Health amp Nutrition are available for download. Acknowledgements​The Asia SHN course was run in partnership with the Asian Centr​e of International Parasite Co​ntrol (ACIPAC) at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine in Parasitic Disease Control, the Japan Consortium fo​​​r Global School Health Research​ (JC-GSHR) and the Partnership for Child Developm​ent (PCD) at Imperial College London, with support from Sightsavers​, the Global Partnership for Education​ and the World Bank.​​​ ​​The Symposium on Mainstreaming Inclusive School Health amp Nutrition was supported by GPE, Sightsavers, PCD and the World Bank with funding from the Global Partnership for Education as part of the School Health Integrated Programming Initative.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​On the st March, the continent of Africa joins together to mark the Africa Day of School Feeding. A day when countries celebrate and acknowledge the impact that providing a school meal can have on the health, education and wealth of communities up and down the continent.One place where this celebration will be felt most keenly is in Nigeria. A country whose government has developed, implemented and funded one of the largest and most ambitious school feeding programmes ever attempted in Africa. Launched in 2, the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme has grown quickly to provide hot, nutritionally balanced school meals to over 7 million children every school day.This growth is the product of US$ million invested each year by the Nigerian Government as part of a wider National Social Investment Programme designed to support economically challenged and vulnerable groups across the country. The HGSF programme which uses food procured from local smallholder farmers has been described as a 'win-win-win' for the communities who are engaged with the programme. School children benefit from free nutritionally balanced hot meals local agricultural economies benefit from being able to supply the schools with the ingredients used in the meals and local communities benefit from the employment opportunities provided by the programme - over 72, cooks have been trained and hired as part of the Nigerian programme. Under the guidance of the Vice President's office with technical support from Imperial College's Partnership for Child Development, the programme is currently working with 22 state governments to provide meals in over 5. schools. The target is for a fully national programme covering all 3 states by the end of 28. Speaking from a special event in Rome convened by the World Food Programme to mark Africa School Meals Day, Dr Lesley Drake, PCD's Executive Director, and lead editor of the Global School Feeding Sourcebook highlighted the impact that investments into HGSF can have on communities quotThe evidence shows that when implemented effectively HGSF is beneficial to school children, farmers and the community as a whole. School feeding supports the overall development of school children, increasing both their educational and health outcomes. By procuring food from local farmers they act as effective investments into rural economies, boosting agricultural production and incomes.​ These interventions have been shown to have the greatest impact on those most at need, acting as a social safety net to ensure that no child is left behind. quotWith millions of more children set to benefit from his programme in the coming months, it is safe to say there will be a lot of Nigerians celebrating this year's African Day for School Feeding. Find out more about Home Grown School Feeding ​

The School Heath Initiative Programming (SHIP) initiative is a global programme that supports governments in Cambodia, Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia to strengthen and integrate their school health programmes. ​ The initiative​ is collaboration between the World Bank, Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Sightsavers with funding from the Global Partnership for Education. A component of this programme has been supporting the training of teachers in the basic skills necessary for the early identification of pupils with vision and hearing challenges or intellectual disabilities. Once identified the children can then be referred for early medical treatment. One such teacher who has benefited from this training is Ellen Sakyiwaa, a home economics teacher from Denkyembour in Ghana. The below article is her story as told to the Times Educational Supplement Magazine. ​ A day in the life of…Ellen Sakyiwaa​ Teaching in a mining district in Ghana, this home economics teacher has to contend with lack of supplies, outbreaks of malaria and large class sizes. I’ve been a teacher for almost 22 years and have spent most of my teaching career in Atwatia in the Denkyembour district, which is the main centre for diamond mining in Ghana. On a typical day, I get up before dawn, at 5am. I make breakfast for my three children and then walk or drive to school, which is just 2 minutes from where I live. Lessons start at 7.5am. I currently teach home economics to boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 3, but I really prefer working with older students, who are 5 or . That’s because this is a very critical age for young people, when they are beginning to question authority and to think more independently. It is a time when a teacher can make a real impact. I always advise them to take their studies seriously, so that they can become responsible adults in future. I also try to promote subjects like science and maths. In Ghana, there is a belief that these subjects are preserved for the male students, and that they are very difficult for girls to learn. But I want to see more girls enrolling to continue their studies in science and maths. Prejudice about girls is not the only thing that makes teaching here difficult. One of our biggest problems is the huge number of students per class. There are about 4 children in our school, but there can be as many as 5 in one class. The school also doesn’t provide us with much equipment, especially when it comes to practical work. When I teach a cooking lesson, the children and I have to find our own tools. We carry things like baking tins, scales and small stoves into school and the pupils contribute money to buy ingredients. Health is another major problem. This is a mining community and after the miners dig holes, they don’t cover them up again. When it rains, the holes fill with water and the mosquitos breed there. Almost every day someone in the school will fall sick with malaria. Many children are also infected by bilharzia, a kind of parasitic worm that can damage organs including the bladder, kidneys and liver. We recently had some training to screen our students’ eyesight and give out deworming tablets. It was run by our government along with the charity Sightsavers and Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development. Until then, I didn’t realise that some of the students sitting at the back of the classroom couldn’t see the writing on the chalkboard. I noticed they were struggling, but we didn’t know that they had a problem with their vision. Now, after a term with new glasses, these children are learning better. We have a short break during the day for lunch and school finishes at 3pm. I sometimes have marking to do, so I take the books home. Juggling my time is not easy. Every now and then, I bump into students who I used to teach. A few of them work at St Dominic’s hospital in Akwatia. Others are teachers, or work in other professional roles. Seeing them succeed makes me feel very happy. It reminds me that I love my job and that I’m proud to be a teacher.The original TES article can be accessed here​Additional resources​World Bank, GPE, PCD and Sightsavers partner to improve education through school healthGhana teachers trained as part of integrated approach to school health​

​​​​​​The success and countrywide scale-up of Nigeria's national Home Grown School Feeding programmes​ was reviewed by key decision makers at a recent high level meeting held in Kaduna State on 24-2 April. The event brought together representatives of 8 state governments, the Office of the Vice President and key techncial advisors and backers to review the performance of the programme with a view to learning from best practices. The meeting sought to align the different state implementation strategies with those of the national HGSF framework and the five global standards. Launched in 2, the national HGSF programme led by the Vice President's office with technical support from Imperial College's Partnership for Child Development (PCD), provides school children with a free nutritionally-balanced and locally-​sourced hot meal every school day. The programmes is designed to improve school enrolment and completion, stimulate agricultural production and create employment opportunities for the community. The programme is currently working with the governments in 8 Nigerian states to provide sustainable school meals to 5.5 million children in public primary schools. By 29 the Federal Government is looking to expand the programme nationally to all 3 states. Once fully realised the programme aims to feed 24 million children, making it the largest school programme in Africa. ​Speaking at the event, Dr Lesley Drake, PCD’s Executive Director, hailed the efforts of the Government in implementing such a large-scale initiative, “The evidence shows that when implemented effectively HGSF is a win-win-win for school children, farmers and the community as whole. This programme is already benefiting millions of families across Nigeria. It is exciting to know that many millions more will be benefiting from the national scale up of school feeding. quotThe continued success and scale-up of this programme is a result of the commitment shown by both the Federal and State governments. quotNHGSFP is part of national Social Investment Plan (SIP) promoting social protection under the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.​​​Dr Lesley Drakes, Executive Director, Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London delivering her goodwill message at the Organised National Home Grown School Feeding Programme Review Meeting in Kaduna with Dr. Davis Omotola Head Partnership amp Advocacy UNICEF, Mariam Uwais Special Adviser to The President on Social Investment Office of the Vice President, Bimbo Adesanmi Programme Manager National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Tunde Osibamowo Senior Special Assistant to the President on Monitoring and Evaluation on the high table. (c) Sesco Photography 27​​Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Executive Governor of Kaduna State delivering his goodwill message at the Organised National Home Grown School Feeding Programme Review Meeting in Kaduna with Mariam Uwais Special Adviser to The President on Social Investment Office of the Vice President, Dr Lesley Drakes Executive Director Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London, Bimbo Adesanmi Programme Manager National Home Grown School Feeding Programme on the high table with him. Mon. 24Apr27 (c) Sesco Photography 27​​Office of the Vice President and Ministry of Budget and National Planning Organised National Home Grown School Feeding Programme Review Conference in ASAA PYRAMID HOTELS, Kaduna Mon. 24Apr27

​​In January 27, the Ministry of Education in Madagascar launched the Government’s first Home Grown School Feeding Programme called the School Food Based on Local Purchases (ASBAL) programme. The launch marked the culmination of a two-year process which brought together stakeholders to conceptualise and adapt the ASBAL model to meet the local socio-economic, agricultural and institutional realities of the southern regions of Androy, Atsimo Andrefana and Anosy. This report documents the feasibility study of the pilot programme ASBAL, conducted in 25-2 by the Ministry of Education with technical support from the Partnership for Child Development (PCD). ​​​Funded by the World Bank, the study designed and evaluated the ASBAL pilot project which enhanced the sustainability and ownership of HGSF in the regions at both national and community levels. Following the success of the ASBAL pilot programme, the Ministry of Education and its development partners are planning to scale up the programme to other regions in the country. Further resources Download the report Madagascar Étude de faisabilité du programme pilote d'alimentation scolaire basée sur les achats locaux ​[pdf] News article Madagascar start school feeding programme on hgsf-global.org​​​Madagascar lance son premier programme limentation Scolaire Basée sur les Achats LocauxEn janvier 27, le Ministère de l’Education Nationale à Madagascar inaugurait le lancement de son programme ASBAL - Alimentation Scolaire Basée sur les Achats Locaux - HGSF en anglais. Cet évènement marque l’aboutissement d’un processus idéatif et participatif de conceptualisation d’un modèle ASBAL à la situation socio-économique, agricole et institutionnelle des trois régions du Sud de Madagascar. Ce rapport présente la méthodologie et les résultats de l’étude de faisabilité du programme pilote ASBAL, commanditée par le Ministère de l’Education et menée par le Partnership for Child Development (PCD) d’aout 25 à décembre 2. Financée par la Banque Mondiale, l’étude consistait à définir, présenter et évaluer la faisabilité d’un projet pilote ASBAL spécifique au contexte qui renforce la durabilité et l'appropriation nationale au niveau central et communautaire. Le pilote ASBAL couvre déjà écoles et le Ministère prévoit d’étendre le programme dès avril prochain.Davantage de ressourcesTélécharger le rapport Madagascar Étude de faisabilité du programme pilote d'alimentation scolaire basée sur les achats locaux ​[pdf]​ ​

th Asia School Health amp Nutrition Training Course 2-9 February 27 at Mahidol University, Bangkok Applications are now open for the 27 edition of the internationally renowned Asia School Health and Nutrition Training Course. The course is designed to enable participants to develop country-specific action plans reflecting all aspects School Health amp Nutrition (SHN) and to share learning about cutting-edge developments in the field. This interactive and participatory course features lectures and workshops by international experts on SHN covering a range of contempor​ary issues including 58Integrated SHN programmingPolicy analysisSchool feeding and nutritionInclusion of children with disabilities and,Disaster prevention in the SHN context. The course provides participants, from both education and health sectors, the chance to share their programmatic experiences and build SHN capacity at national and regional levels. Participants will visit schools in Thailand, to directly observe SHN activities and learn from teachers, school directors and pupils.The course is convened by Mahidol University, the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research and Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development.We are expecting participation from -2 Asian governments in 27. In previous years the course has also seen attendance from UN agencies, multilaterals and bilaterals including the World Food Programme, World Bank, GIZ, JICA, UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, and WHO as well as a range of non-governmental organisations. Applications ProcessApplications close on st December 2. Click here to apply and find out more. ​

​​An international programme to train teachers to identify child health issues has​ been conducted in selected schools in Akwatia in eastern Ghana. The training will enable teachers to acquire the basic skills necessary for the early identification of pupils with vision and hearing challenges or intellectual disabilities. Once identified the children can then be referred for early medical treatment. The training is part of the School Heath Initiative Programming (SHIP) initiative - a global programme that is supporting governments in Cambodia, Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia to strengthen and integrate their school health programmes. ​ The initiaive is collaboration between the World Bank, Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Sightsavers with funding from the Global Partnership for Education. Speaking at the launch of the teacher training, Mrs Getrude Ananse-Baiden, Country Manager from PCD, said, quotSchools provide a cost-effective platform to deliver simple health interventions which are proven to reduce absenteeism and drop-out rates, and improve child cognition and learning. Children who are healthy, learn better. quot She continued, quotThe SHIP initiative is focused on two cornerstones of school health and nutrition 58 deworming ​and vision screening. These two simple interventions can be used as a platform to bring on board other school health interventions. So rather than delivering multiple separate programmes government's are able to run one comprehensive school health programme that can reach and benefit every school child.​ Mrs Ananse-Baiden said, quotThe SHIP initiative is designed to assess the feasibility of an integrated school health approach, document the best practices and identify the gaps in implementing school health programmes quot. In Ghana, the initiative is being piloted in the Denkyenbuo District due to the areas high levels of parasitic worm infections. If proven successful SHIP will be scaled up to other districts in the country. Following the training, deworming treatment together with eye screening will be provided to all pupils in the Denkyenbuo District. Free eye glasses will be provided to the pupils and teachers that need them. Findings from this pilot will be by the end of the year. ​

​​Nigerian Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has announced that the Government’s National Home Grown School Feeding programme will start providing free school meals to 4.2 million children in states in October 2. The programme, which was formally inaugurated on June 9, 2 by Vice-President Osinbajo, is part of a N5bn Social Investment Plan budgeted for in the 2 Appropriation Act.National Programme Manager of the Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme, Mrs. Abimbola Adesanmi confirmed that the Federal Government will being the implementation of the programme to coincide with the start of the new school term,“I am delighted that an initial eleven states have announced their readiness to commence feeding of pupils in Primary one to three before the end of this month. ” quotWe have supported the states to establish structures that would enhance the implementation ​of the programme. This has included conducting capacity building workshops and trainings for implementers and stakeholders at state level. quotMrs Adesanmi, who has been seconded from Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development, identified the states as Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Borno, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Akwa Ibom, Osun, Oyo and Ogun.The Federal Government will fund the HGSF programme to feed 4.2 million pupils of primary one to three in 2, each pupil will receive a meal worth N 7 (.27 USD) for 2 school days.Vice-President Osinbajo said, “We will be hiring caterers and cooks in each state because it will be Federal Government-funded from primaries to 3 and the state governments hopefully would be able to cater for the other classes.The programme will energise agriculture in the different states because it is what you plant that you feed the children with. “A similar programme that has been successfully running in the State of Osun has created over 3, catering jobs and contracted over 5 farmers to supply school meals to 25, primary school children. Further Resources Imperial College to support scale-up of Nigeria's new national school feeding programme Farm commended for its role in the Osun State Home Grown School Feeding Programme​​

​​​​ ​​ This is Bin Nou. She’s 35 years old. Nou is a head teacher at Ta Tum Primary school in Bantheay Srey District in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Recently she participated in a vision screening training organized by the Ministry of Education in partnership with Sightsavers and Fred Hollows Foundation to identify students with vision problems. The ministry promotes eye health as part of its inclusive education strategy to remove barriers for active participation and academic success in education. After the training, Bin Nou received a vision screening kit so she could test the eyesight of children in her school. ​ During the training, participants were offered a free eye examination and since Nou experienced some vision problems herself, she was keen to be tested. Indeed she needed glasses so she returned home with her very first pair of glasses! ​​Teachers during the vision screening training. Photo credit 58 Claire Eggers She loved her new look and happily posed for our camera, mentioning that the School Health Integrated Programming (SHIP) is very important for Cambodia’s rural communities. SHIP initiative in Cambodia is part of wider global programme that is supporting governments in Cambodia, Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia to strengthen and integrate their school health programmes. The World Bank, Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Sightsavers​ have teamed up to support governments in Africa and Asia to strengthen their national school health and nutrition programmes. The initiative is supported and funded by the Global Partnership for Education​. Schools provide a cost-effective platform to deliver simple health interventions which are proven to reduce absenteeism and drop-out rates, and improve child cognition and learning. Bin Nou and Matai with their new glasses. ​Photo credit 58 Bin Nou SHIP initiative is focused on two cornerstones of school health and nutrition 58 deworming and vision screening. These two simple interventions can be used as a platform for other interventions. In Cambodia, along with the vision screening, teacher training workshops have been held to strengthen school-based deworming and identify how to integrate other health initiatives into these national programmes. ​Nou explained 58 “Our villages don’t have easy access to eye care providers and glasses are not available locally. Therefore vision problems often remain uncorrected”. With improved vision, Nou expect better learning outcomes from Matai, and that is of course a priceless result of a very simple and low-cost intervention. After celebrating World Teachers’ Day earlier this week, let’s honor passionate and committed teachers like Nou, as they clearly make a difference in the life of their students. ​Article adapted from original GPE blog posted by Liesbeth Roolvink, click link to read. Find out more​Integrating school health in Ethiopia School Health Integrating Programme - Improve education through school health​ ​

​ Representatives of Ethiopia's Ministry of Education have called for the need to integrate the implementation of school health programmes to improve the health and education of children. This was one of the key recommendations of a National School Health Workshop held at the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Education on 3-3st August 2. The meeting brought together government and development partners to discuss how school health services can be implemented in an integrated and inclusive manner.Addressing delegates, Eshetu Asfaw, Planning, Monitoring and Resources Mobilization Director with the Ministry of Education said, ​​​​ quotUnified efforts are needed for the success of school health programmes.​ quot The Director noted that ways should be found to address the immediate health needs of Ethiopian school children and to improve their health and educational performance. quotStrengthening cooperati​on in health intervention, including deworming and vision screening, can have a large impact on reducing school absenteeism and dropouts and increasing student performance in learning. quot​ Eshetu added, quotEven though Ethiopia has gained some achievements in School Health and Nutrition (SHN), there are still critical gaps and the road to fully integrated, coordinated SHN intervention is very long. quot ​ quotEthiopia's incorporation of a SHM programme into its education sector shows the commitment the country has for the initiative.​ quot​​Elodie Yard, PCDElodie Yard​, Programmes Manager for East Africa with Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD), who are are providing technical assistance to the Government, said, quotEthiopia is in the right track to ensure coordination between education and health. quot​ quotEthiopia should further improve the health and nutritional status of school-age children that will contribute for their attendance and performance in school. quot National School Health Integrated Programming​ is the initiative of World Bank, Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Sightsavers to streamline school health and nutrition into Ethiopia's education sector plan. ​The initiative is supported and funded by the Global Partnership for Education, which supports more than low and middle income countries to ensure that every child receives quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest and most marginalized.​​​Article adapted from Ethiopian News Agency​​​ ​Find Out More National strategy launch NTD mapping and national plan​ Costing analysis report​​​​

The cost and efficiency savings that can be made by governments through integrating school health and nutrition interventions is one of the key findings of an innovative research programme in Ethiopia's Southern Nations and Nationalities People's Region (SNNPR).​ The Enhanced School Health Initiative (ESHI) research programme which has been measuring the effectiveness of implementing multiple health and nutrition interventions in schools, found that cost savings of up to 4% could be made when transport, storage and management were shared across interventions. The ESHI programme which is running across 3 schools in the region includes a Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) component, which provides hot, nutritious school meals procured from local smallholder farmers and prepared by locally trained caterers a school-based deworming component, which distributes safe and effective deworming pills to children to treat parasitic intestinal infections and finally, a water and sanitation component which improves the latrine and water supplies of the participant schools. The programme, which is funded by Dubai Cares, is a collaboration between Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) along with the Ethiopian Government, the World Food Programme (WFP), SNV, and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI). The ultimate aim of the programme is to build the evidence base for government's to design and implement large-scale comprehensive school health programmes which will improve the health and education of school-aged children.To this end the programme has already had a significant impact, and the Ethiopian Government is building on the findings to inform the development of its national school health and nutrition policies and programmes. The HGSF model employed by ESHI has been adopted by the National School Feeding Strategy with four other regions in t​he country drawing up ​implementation plans. Data and research findings from the programme have also been used to inform Ethiopia's National Parasite Prevalence Mapping and the National School-based Deworming Programme. ​The integrated approach, as informed by ESHI, and which involves stakeholders from multiple sectors including health, education and agricultural was endorsed in the National School Health and Nutrition Strategic Plan recently launched by the Ethiopian Government.​Speaking following a recent visit to SNNPR by Dubai Care's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tariq Al Gurg (pictured right) said, ''I am very impressed by the progress made by the Ministry of Education to push the school health and nutrition agenda forward and I'm delighted the ESHI programme has contributed to the learning''. Further information National strategy launch NTD mapping and national plan​ Costing analysis report​​​

​LONDON/ WASHINGTON, June, 2 -- The World Bank, Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Sightsavers​ have teamed up to support governments in Africa and Asia to strengthen their national school health and nutrition programmes. The initiative is supported and funded by the Global Partnership for Education​, which supports more than low and middle income countries to ensure that every child receives a quality basic education, prioritizing the poorest and most marginalised.Every year children in low-income countries miss up to 5 million school days due to common health problems, such as poor nutrition, worm infection, visual impairment and disability. Schools provide a cost-effective platform to deliver simple health interventions which are proven to reduce absenteeism and drop-out rates, and improve child cognition and learning.“Schools can be effective in delivering health education as well as proven, simple and affordable health interventions that benefit children and improve their learning,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education. “This initiative fosters the virtuous cycle of health and education and helps strengthening national education planning.”This new initiative aims to catalyse a greater understanding of how governments can mainstream school health and nutrition interventions into national education sector plans. The initiative is focused on two cornerstones of school health and nutrition 58 deworming and vision screening. These two simple interventions can be used as a platform for other interventions.“School health in general is important for the development of children and affects their ability to learn and succeed,” said Claudia Costin, World Bank Senior Director for Education. “Improving the health and nutritional status of school-age children has a significant impact on the timing of their enrollment, the frequency of their attendance, and their performance in school.”In the first instance the initiative will support governments in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Senegal, to distribute treatments for intestinal worms and screen the eyes of 4, school children, giving glasses to those who need them. quotAchieving education for all is not just about providing textbooks and teachers, we also need to look after the health and well-being of children,” said Dr. Lesley Drake, Executive Director of PCD, “Healthy and happy children are more able to learn. Through this programme many children who would otherwise face a life excluded from education will be able to attend and stay in school and ultimately enjoy a higher quality learning experience.”Currently more than million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms, and deworming is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase school participation. At a cost of US$.5 per child per year, school-based deworming is able to reduce the incidence of infection and school absenteeism by 25 percent. “Successfully integrating vision screening and deworming programmes in school systems can significantly reduce absenteeism, drop-out rates and improve learning outcomes and cognition for children. This will create a platform by which other health initiatives can be integrated and delivered in a cost-effective manner,” said Dr. Imran A. Khan, Strategic Director of the programme and Chief Global Technical Lead at Sightsavers.Similar to worm infection, refractive error - the need for spectacles - also limits many children’s opportunities in school. Around percent of schoolchildren in low-income countries have refractive errors and in almost all cases this can be corrected with appropriately fitted eyeglasses. However, the majority of children in low-income countries do not have eyeglasses due to a lack of awareness, unavailability of optometrists, and the high cost of eyeglasses. This approach has already been successfully piloted in partnership with the Cambodian government in 22. Over 3, children were screened and treated and over teachers and government staff were trained in the methodology.The partnership is working with experts in the field to develop guidance materials to allow governments to re-create similar programmes on a wider scale. Children with disabilities, poor health and nutrition represent one of the most marginalised groups in society. This new initiative will enable governments to deliver inclusive and sustainable school health nutrition programmes that ensure that no child, however disadvantaged, is left behind.

​​​ Nigeria’s National Home Grown School Feeding Programme has been formally launched by the country’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at a special meeting of Federal and State ministers and school feeding stakeholders in Abuja. The HGSF programme is part of a 5 billion Nira funded Social Investment Programme announced by the Buhari administration to tackle poverty and improve the health and education of children and other vulnerable groups. When fully realised the school feeding component of this programme aims to support States to collectively feed over 24 million school children which will make it the largest school feeding programme of its kind in Africa. Speaking at the event. the Vice President said, ’Today we lay an important building block in securing our future by mapping out the implementation plan to ensure that even the most disadvantaged children are free from malnutrition.‘​ The Home Grown School Feeding Programme, which aims to provide free school meals with food procured from local smallholder farmers seeks to strengthen communities across the country by 58Increasing school enrolment and completion. Nigeria currently has a primary school dropout rate of around 3%Improving child nutrition and health. Nigeria has t​he third largest population of chronically undernourished children in the world. Strengthening local agricultural economies by providing a school feeding market in which farmers can sell their produce. Create employment opportunities with jobs in catering, processing, farming, etc. To support and direct this programme, Professor Osinbajo presented a National HGSF Strategic plan which maps out how Federal, State and Local governments are to work together to deliver the programme over the next four years. To facilitate the implementation of this plan the Federal Government is working with key partners to capitalize upon global experience and evidence of good practice. The Vice President in particular welcomed Dr Lesley Drake from Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development. PCD have been providing technical assistance to the Federal Government on the scale up of school feeding in the country. ‘Lesley is a great friend of Nigeria and has personal been extremely supportive of our efforts. We have constituted an inter-ministerial technical team which has the participation of our technical partner PCD.’ PCD’s Country Director, Abimbola Adesanmi who heads up the inter-ministerial team, said of the launch, ‘Research on school feeding programmes from around the world shows that school feeding can improve the education, health and wealth of whole communities. The launch of the HGSF strategy is very significant because the roll out of this national programme will improve the lives of millions of families across Nigeria.’ Alongside the launch of the national strategy the Vice President also launched the ‘Global School Feeding Sourcebook 58 Lessons from 4 countries’, a joint PCD, the World Bank and World Food Programme analysis of national school feeding programmes from across the globe. Speaking of the Sourcebook, Professor Osinbajo noted that its launch ‘underscores the fact that Nigeria’s HGSF programme launches Nigeria into an international school feeding ecosystem with all the benefits of synergy and collaboration that bring’. With a joint foreword by the World Bank’s President, Dr Jim Yong Kim and WFP’s Executive Director, Ertharin Cousin, the Sourcebook documents and analyzes a range of government-led school meals programmes to provide decision-makers and practitioners worldwide with the knowledge, evidence and good practice they need to strengthen their national school feeding efforts. A free e-version of the book can be downloaded from www.hgsf-global.org Download the Vice President's Address at the launch of the Nigeria HGSFProgramme​ ​ Read summary of findings from the Sourcebook .

WASHINGTON/LONDON/ROME – A major contemporary analysis of global school meals practices, designed to help strengthen these vital social investments, has been released by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development (PCD), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Bank(WB).The Global School Feeding Sourcebook 58 Lessons from 4 countries was produced in response to demand from governments and development partners for guidance on designing and implementing large-scale sustainable national school feeding programmes that can meet globally approved standards.The Sourcebook documents and analyzes a range of government-led school meals programmes to provide decision-makers and practitioners worldwide with the knowledge, evidence and good practice they need to strengthen their national school feeding efforts.With school meals’ proven ability to improve the health and education of children while supporting local and national economies and food security, school feeding programmes exist in almost every country in the world for which there is data, for a total annual global investment of US$75 billion. This provides an estimated 38 million children – about one in five - with a meal at school daily. However, too often, such programmes are weakest in countries where there is the most need.With high-level collaboration with government teams from 4 countries (Botswana, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Chile, Cote D’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mali, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa) the Sourcebook includes a compilation of concise and comprehensive country case-studies. It highlights the trade-offs associated with alternative school feeding models and analyzes the overarching themes, trends and challenges which run across them.In a joint foreword, World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim and World Food Programme Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said that the research showed how school meals programmes help to get children into the classroom and keep them there, “contributing to their learning by avoiding hunger and enhancing cognitive abilities.”“Today, national school feeding programmes are increasingly embedded in national policy on poverty elimination, social protection, education and nutrition,” they added.Lead Editor and PCD’s Executive Director Dr Lesley Drake, said, “The overall message from this research is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ for school feeding and there are many routes to success. Context is key. This sourcebook will act as a valuable tool for governments to enable them to make evidenced-based decisions that will improve the effectiveness of their school feeding programmes.”The Sourcebook follows Rethinking School Feeding (WB, 29) and The State of School Feeding Worldwide(WFP, 23) as the third in a trilogy of agenda defining analyzes produced by the World Bank, WFP and PCD global partnership. These have shaped the way in which governments and donors alike approach school feeding.“Helping countries to apply this knowledge [in the Sourcebook] to strengthen national school feeding programmes will contribute to reducing the vulnerability of the poorest, giving all children a chance for an education and a bright future and eliminating poverty,” said Kim and Cousin.The Sourcebook is free to downloaded at the HGSF document library Sourcebook Key FindingsThe analysis examines the 4 national programmes in terms of Five Quality Standards as identified in Rethinking School Feeding (WB, 29) that are needed for school feeding programmes to be sustainable and effective. These standards include 58 design and implementation policy and legal frameworks institutional arrangements funding and budgeting and community participation.Design and implementationSchool feeding is most frequently designed as a social protection measure for poor and vulnerable communities with the key outcome being an improvement in education through increased enrolment, reduced absenteeism, and enhanced gender equality. For example primary school enrolment in Nigeria’s Osun State increased by 28percent since the introduction of free school meals. Increasingly, policy makers are seeing school feeding as a means to tackle health and nutrition issues whether that be stunting and anaemia caused by undernutrition or obesity caused by over nutrition. In Ghana, the government uses a digital school meals planner to develop nutritionally balanced school meals using local ingredients.Another trend is for countries to connect school feeding with local food production and purchase, also known as Home Grown School Feeding. This benefits both rural economies and school children alike as children benefit from nutritious fresh food and farmers benefit from being able to sell their produce a new market. In Brazil, for example, it is federal law that 3percent of food for school meals is procured from small family-run farms.Policy and legal frameworksEffective programmes need well-articulated policy and legal frameworks. Every country reviewed in the study has included school feeding in its regulatory framework. This has been achieved using different types of legislative and executive measures dependent on the national context.Institutional arrangementsThere is no single institutional design, but the key determinants of success include co-ordinating stakeholders from across multiple sectors ensuring that there is enough government capacity at national and local levels and creating mechanisms to ensure quality and accountability of the school feeding programmes. The cross-sectoral aspect of school feeding is exemplified by Kenya, where its programmes are coordinated jointly by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture.Funding and budgetingSchool feeding costs usually represent a small fraction of educational expenditure (typically -5 percent) with the purchase of food being the main cost-driver. Identifying sustainable and protected sources of funding remains the key challenge for many low-income countries. Analysis shows that there is strong political will to continue to fund school feeding as it is a popular intervention with the public, but not all funding is public, and private sector partnerships are a growing area of financial support. In Cape Verde schools can partner with local businesses such as hotels for extra funds which can be put towards cooking facilities.Community participationThe strongest and most sustainable programmes are those that respond to community need, are locally-owned and incorporate some form of parental or community contribution. In Namibia, many communities are expected to provide fuel, cooking utensils and storerooms. Indirect benefits of school feeding include employment opportunities for example, in Chile, low-income mothers are given catering training. School feeding can also mean increased income and training for smallholder farmers as well as complementary school health activities, as in both Mexico and Brazil where parents are taught about the importance of nutritionally balanced diets.​

​​By Desta Gebrehiwot, Ethiopian Herald. ​- Food for thought, Ethiopia's education system down the road Across the developing world, millions of school-age children are affected by serious - yet easily treatable and preventable illnesses, which inhibit their ability to learn. True to the saying 'One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well,' healthier children stay in school longer, attend more regularly, learn more and become healthier and more productive adults. The provision of quality schools, textbooks and teachers can result in effective education only if the child is healthy, ready and able to learn. When school feeding programmes are implemented as part of a wider school health and nutrition package including deforming, nutrition education and access to safe water they can have an even greater impact on child nutrition. School feeding also increases school enrollment and attendance as children are more likely to go and stay in school. Increasingly a number of countries are now implementing Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes, a concept which brings together improved health, education and agricultural development by ensuring that food used in school meals is procured locally from smallholder farmers. HGSF aims at helping both farmers and children alike. Lately, Ethiopia announced to implement national School Feeding programme​ at all schools as part of the newly developed National School Health Nutrition Strategy, The Ethiopian Herald learnt at the opening ceremony of the two-day long consultative workshop on 'Systematic Approach for Better Education. The consultative workshop was organized to help identify capacity gaps and to formulate strategies for school feeding programme. The national school feeding programme is different from the previous similar schemes. The previous school feeding programme has been reaching selected schools, where students prove vulnerable to malnutrition and food shortage. But, the new national school feeding programme will be applicable at all schools either private or public in towns or rural areas. The programme will be integrated to national education system.​ The feeding scheme will primarily be applied in primary schools as a pilot project and will consequently be cascaded to other levels. The school feeding programme is part of the ongoing global efforts to achieve education for all and school safety-net programme. The government has developed the programme to ensure transition from donor funded programmes to national ownership and are seekign to extend the current coverage across more schools, said Eshetu Assefaw, Action Planning Resource Mobilization Director at Ministry of Education. School Feeding progammes have been implemented in many countries and are vital in places where there is food shortage and malnutrition. Ethiopia's programme is developed in line with country's second Growth And Transformation Plan that is geared towards ensuring food security and ending abject poverty.'​,​said Bachir Sarr, Senior Policy Analyst at the Partnership for Children Development . ​ quotPCD has been working with the Government on number of school health activities in Ethiopia particularly in 3 schools located at SNNPR state. Through this programme children are benefiting from daily school feeding services, deworming, sanitation facilities and health educational facilities. The schools benefiting from this programme have experienced increases in student enrollment and decreases in infections diseases. quot noted Dr Laura Appleby NTD Manager for the Partnership for Child Development, ​ quotIt does take significant resources and strong policy framework to implement an effective and sustainable national school feeding scheme. PCD is committed to work with the Ministry of Education to develop its practical national strategy in this regard quot, added Dr Appleby. Speaking at the National School Health Nutrition Strategy launched. Save the Children Deputy Country Director, John Lendin said, ' Students need to be healthy and well nurtured to be able to achieve a quality education. This strategy recognizes this as an important issue in the country. The ministry is in the lead and the government is dedicated towards ensuring better education system and Save Children will bolster the efforts. ' The Government is on the right path to implement the policy , there is no country in the world where the the issue of school sanitation and nutrition are fully completed and resolved . It will take a while to get the strategy implemented but with the commitment of the government and interventions of donor organizations , the policy will successfully be implemented.​

​​​​Policy makers from the Ministries of Education and Health undertook a two day Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) policy analysis to identify ways to strengthen the countries school health and nutrition policies and programmes. SABER is a World Bank supported tool for analysing policies in countries. It is designed to map the current SHN situation and find gaps in policy and implementation.Opened by Dr. Tilaye Gete, State Minister for General Education the workshop assessed government capacity in the four policy areas deemed essential for effective implementation of a national school health and nutrition strategy namely Health-related school policiesSafe learning environmentSkill-based health educationSchool-based health and nutrition services. Speaking at the opening Dr Tilaye Gete said, ‘SABER will be a good instrument for my Ministry to assess the school health and nutrition situation and systems in the country. Using this we will be able to identify the gaps and plan appropriate capacity development road maps with stakeholders for an effective implementation of our national SHN strategy.’ ​The school health SABER, convened by the Partnership for Child Development with the support of Dubai Cares, builds on a School Feeding SABER workshop that was held in August 25 by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), Imperial College London. The analysis from this workshop demonstrated the strong status of school feeding, being included in several policy documents, and highlighted the need for increased capacity and coordination, as well as requirements for well designed, evidence based school feeding programme.It is hoped that the results of the follow up SABER School Health workshop will provide the Government’s School Health and Nutrition task force with a road map for planning and addressing the school health and nutrition agenda in Ethiopia.

Significant cost savings can be made by integrating school health and nutrition programmes is one of the key findings of a new paper entitled ‘Costing Analysis of School Health and Nutrition Interventions 58 The ESHI Case – PCD working paper No4. When populations face multiple deprivations the demand for support services can be immense. This can result in multiple programmes being rolled out to support the same communities and sometimes the same ailments. Specifically in the context of schools, which provide an effective platform for multiple interventions, there is a paucity of evidence to support governments to design cost-effective integrated school health and nutrition programmes. To fill this evidence gap an innovative 3 year research programme is being conducted by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development​ in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia to identify best practices in integrating multiple school health and nutrition interventions. The study focuses on the Enhanced School Health Initiative (ESHI), a school health and nutrition programme that integrates a home grown school feeding programme Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and deworming. The programme is being implemented in 3 schools in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Republic Region of Ethiopia. Analysis was conducted to ascertain if there were cost-efficiencies could be achieved by better integrating the three interventions.​ The research shows that the combined cost of the three SHN interventions is US35.7 per child per year, with school feeding costing $US28. per children per year, WASH costing US$7.35 per year and deworming US$.4 per year. The addition of WASH and deworming to the school feeding required an additional budget increment of 25%. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Total SHN Programming Costs equate to US$.2 per child per day for a school year of 8 days. When the costs were broken down it was identified that monitoring and transport, which make up 4% of the total programming costs, had the greatest potential for efficiency savings. The analysis identifies that consolidating WASH and deworming transport requirements into school feeding transportation would save result in a saving of US$.2 per child. If the programme adopted a single unified monitoring and evaluation framework for all the interventions a saving of US$.75 per child could be achieved. When combined these two efficiency savings added up to an overall cost reduction of 5.%, applied to the 3 study school this equates to a saving of US$,7. Extrapolated out to the whole SNNPR region just by integrating transport and monitoring for primary school SHN programmes would produce savings of $,82,. The analysis shows that integrating just three interventions into SHN programmes has cost benefits and can be carried out efficiently. Download PCD Working Paper 4​​

​​​​5th Asian School Health and Nutrition Training Course​ In December 25, 3 participants, representing different country governments and their development partners convened in Bangkok for the 5th Asian School Health and Nutrition (SHN) training course. Organised by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD), in collaboration with the Japanese Consortium for Global School Health (JC-GSC)​ and Mahidol University, this internationally renowned course brings together SHN practioners from across the health and education sectors to develop and fine-tune the cutting edge skills and tools needed to strengthen their SHN programmes back at home. Covering topics such as school-based deworming, inclusive education, disaster prevention, water and sanitation and school feeding and nutrition through interactive lectures and workshops lead by global SHN experts the Asia SHN course provided participants an opportunity to benefit from the latest research and share examples of good practice. By the end of the course, as well as building valuable professional networks, participants developed country specific and actionable work-plans to be implemented on their return to the office. The short course culminated with an Asian SHN symposium at the Joint International Tropical Medicine Meeting​. The meeting which was focusing on the role of the evidence base in supporting SHN policy and progr​amming saw representatives from the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, as well as PCD and JC-GSHR present on the necessary steps required in order to increase the coverage of SHN and the tools available to support this goal. Dr Lesley Drake, PCD’s Executive Director​ said, “ This series of workshops, conferences and training courses emphasizes both the strength and the importance of the Asia SHN network in addressing the public health challenges facing the region. PCD are delighted to be able to continue to offer training and technical advice to the hardworking individuals who make up this network.”​25 course materialsAll the presentations and lectures given at this year's SHN course are available to download from the list below. ​​5th Asian SHN Training Course Agenda (MB)Presentations Day (4 MB)Presentations Day 2 (28 MB)Presentations Day 3 (4 MB)Presentations Day 5 ( MB)Presentations Day 7 (3 MB)Presentations Day 8 ​(5 MB)​

​​Applications open for the 5th Asia SHN Course, 2 November - 4th December 25, Bangkok Applications are now open for the internationally renowned Asian School Health and Nutrition (SHN) Training Course convened by Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development ​​(PCD), Mahidol University and the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research.During the course, representatives of governments, agencies and academia from 2 Asian countries will engage in interactive lectures and workshops facilitated by global experts on SHN topics including deworming, inclusive education, disaster prevention in school health, WASH and health and nutrition management in schools. Participants will visit local schools to learn from the Thai experience in SHN programme implementation and will work to develop country-specific SHN action plans. By the end of the workshop participants will have developed an actionable and relevant workplan which they can put into action in their home country. Applications and Further Information Click here to find out more and how to apply.​ Applications will close at the end of October 25.

​A new book called ‘The Routledge Handbook of international Education and Development’ has been published that seeks to provide critical analysis of the issues around education and international development and suggest key aspects for the future research agenda. As part of this work, Imperial College of London’s Partnership for Child Development, the World Food Programme and the World Bank​ were invited to write a chapter entitled ‘Nutrition in International Education and Development Debates 58 The Impact of School Feeding’. This discusses the importance of the inter-linkages between health, nutrition and education, and the adoption by almost all countries in the world of child-centered investments by national governments in school health and school feeding programmes. It highlights the fact that tools and technical support are increasingly being made available to governments to support informed decision making about programme design and implementation, and to ensure their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in particular. The chapter goes on to say that the priority now is to ensure that health and school feeding programmes effectively impact on the development and education outcomes of children.​​​​Additional sections within the handbook i​t look at early years, tertiary, adult and vocational educations’ role in development. And the role that international cooperation plays in shaping education in shaping in developing countries. To find out more about the Routledge Handbook. ​​

​ Leading regional and international school feeding experts have convened in Peru for the 7th Annual Regional Seminar for School Nutrition for Latin America and the Caribbean​. Entitled quotSchool feeding 58 a tool of social protection for sustainable development and social inclusion quot the international conference provides a valuable platform for the exchange knowledge and expertise in the fields of school feeding policy, research and programme implementation. With an estimated 85 m​​​illion children receiving a free meal every school day in the region school feeding programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean are becoming increasingly popular. The challenge facing governments is how best to support this continued growth whilst improving nutritional and food safety standar​​ds. A key focus of the conference is on the strategies and tools available for governments to use to measure the impact of school feeding policies and programmes and the ways that they can further strengthen the implementation of their school feeding programmes. The meeting brings together government delegations from more than 2 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean as well as experts from organisations such the World Bank, FAO, Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development, PAHO and others.The conference is being hosted by the Government of Peru who coordinate the successfully QaliWarma National School Feeding Programme. The success of this programme has been facilitated by creating effective partnerships with both private sector companies and community stakeholders. Community empowerment and participation has been engendered through Purchasing and School Feeding Committees. During the conference country delegations will undertake a Systems Approach to Better Education Results or SABER exercise to identify the strengths and gaps of their school feeding and school health policies and programmes. SABER is a global benchmarking exercise developed by the World Bank with technical support from the Partnership for Child Development which enables countries to assess their policies against other countries. A webcast of the meeting is available here​​

The World Education Forum 25 in Korea is aiming to galvanize the education community around a common vision for Education 23. Education 23 is looking to build on the successes of Education for All movement but also to address its short-fallings by focusing on inclusion and equity, giving everyone an equal opportunity in education and leaving no one behind. It is seeking to strengthen and increase efforts to reach those marginalised by gender inequality, poverty, conflict and disaster and disability.Key to this effort is making sure that children are healthy enough to learn and learn enough to be healthy. This perhaps best illustrated by the fact it is estimated that 2 to 5 million school days are lost to ill health every year in low income countries and many of those lost days due to preventable conditions like malaria, worm infections , malnutrition and anaemia. An approach which is vital to achieving healthy children, and has already been widely adopted, is the Focusing Resources in Effective School Health (FRESH) framework. FRESH facilitates the development of effective and sustainable school health and nutrition policies, programmes and practices. As highlighted by FRESH – School Health Matters Beyond 25, a new paper which will be launched by FRESH partners at this year’s Forum, although much has been achieved since 2 there is much more to be done for sustainable, inclusive and equitable access to quality education and school health programmes.Click image to download paperTo achieve this requires strong government leadership, an integrated approach and continued coordinated support by partners.For Education 23 to meet its objectives the paper outlines three key steps going forward 58A concern for health needs to be part of a broad view of the purposes of education that recognizes that the whole child, not just their intellect, is fundamental to their learning. Students need to learn the skills, knowledge, norms, attitudes and coping mechanisms that are essential to their success at school and in life. School health needs to be mainstreamed in budgeted education sector plans. The FRESH paper was produced by the FRESH partnership which includes Partnership for Child Development, World Bank, WFP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNODC, Save the Children, AIR, Education International, Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research, International school Health Network, Follow the FRESH @ WEF debate on twitter with FRESH and WEF25 on @schoolshealth

​A new user-friendly school health training manuals and materials are being put to good use by community leaders as part of innovative programme which is looking to improve the health and education of children in Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp. Community health promoters, teachers and officials are being trained by Imperial College of London’s Partnership for Child Development (PCD) in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), as part of an initiative to take simple but effective health messages and practices out of the class room and into the wider community. The health situation facing children in the camp is serious - analysis conducted by the PCD showed that school-aged children in the camp faced high levels of malnutrion, anemia and parasitic worm infection 5879% suffered from under nutrition in 5 infected with blinding trachoma22% of children were anaemic, showing a strong correlation to malaria infectionThese health issues were compounded by inadequate sanitation and clean water facilities in schools and a lack of nutritional knowledge amongst parents and guardians. Download the training manualsIntegrated School Health Teaching Manual for Health and other Extension Workers​Integrated School Health A Manual For TeachersWASH Training for Hygiene Promotion Staff​To understand how best to tackle these issues and provide communities like Kakuma with the skills and the services to send healthy children to school, PCD in partnership with the World Food Programme, UNHCR, IRC, KEMRI and the Kenyan Government is conducting a 2 year study into the impact of comprehensive​​​​ school health programme on children in the camp. The programme is evaluating the impact of integrating deworming treatments, improved water and sanitation facilities and practices and the provision of nutritionally balanced school meals on the health and education of children. These interventions will go hand-in-hand with community focused health posters and training sessions which will seek to embedded healthy practices outside the school gates. The learnings from this programme will then be used inform the development of school health programmes in Kakuma Refugee Camp and communities like it. Based on these manuals PCD are also working with the Norwegian Refugee Council to provide Water Health and Sanitation training manuals for Hygiene Promotion Staff.

​​​​​According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 93 million children in the world – in 2 children aged 4 or younger – have a moderate or severe disability. The majority of them live in low- and middle-income countries, are not enrolled in school and have very poor access to the most basic health and nutrition opportunities. Whether it is due to poor data or a lack of knowledge and understanding school health and nutrition (SHN) policy makers and programmers have previously struggled to visualize this group and respond effectively to their needs. These children have been left behind. To help tackle this and provide policy makers and programmers with practical research that they can use to develop and implement inclusive SHN programme the Partnership for Child Development from Imperial College London have released Inclusive SHN programmes 58 A roadmap for mainstreaming disability into the FRESH agenda. This new working paper brings together the evidence and best practice from around the globe to provide practical examples of how develop SHN programmes that address the needs of children with disabilities and identify and overcome some of the common barriers to inclusion. The paper identifies that children with disabilities face a range of physical and social barriers which prevent them from accessing health and education services, these include inaccessible school buildings and physical resources but can also include issues such as poverty and social determinants including class and gender, which work together to lock these children out. Another obstacle is the low expectations placed on these children by families, teachers and health personnel. Rooted in social stigma these expectations wrongly reject the proposition that children with disabilities can live a healthy and educated life. Inclusive approaches to education and health are required to ensure equal rights and opportunities, personal autonomy and dignity to all children, regardless of their social status, gender, age, physical or mental condition, race, religion or sexual orientation. The 27 ratification of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities​ which calls on countries to develop inclusive policies and programmes has had significant global impact on equality but we also need to ensure that disability is fully integrating into the post 25 development agenda as part of the broader strategy for achieving equity. Tools such as the PCD working paper which enable governments to development and implement inclusive programmes are a small but integral part of this process.​The Story of Chung LangChung Lang, a 3-year-old 5th grader in Siem Reap, Cambodia, lost vision in her right eye due to vitamin D deficiency. Poor vision in her left eye made it very difficult for her to see the teachers’ writing on the blackboard. She persevered in school mostly relying on her hearing. But eventually, she dropped out of school.Now, with a pair of new glasses through a school-based vision screening programme, Chung Lang says, “I really enjoy reading.” A $2 pair of glasses determined whether or not this young girl goes to school and receives an education.About 3, children in 5 schools in Siem Reap province were part of the school-based vision screening initiative which was implemented by the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports with support from the Global Partnership for Education, the Partnership for Child Development, Sightsavers and the World Bank during 22. Many children received eye glasses a few were referred for eye surgery or for other treatments related to vision problems. For most children, it was their first vision screening and their first pair of glasses.​ The results of the project provided valuable input for strategic planning discussions with the ministry of education and led to increased support for excluded children. ​Further informationFind out more about Inclusive SHN​Child Vision​Inclusive SHN in Practice​​Inclusive SHN document library​​

​​​​PCD have released a new SHN working paper called ‘Lessons in deworming over 7 million India school children - Bihar's innovative and pioneering school-based deworming programme’. This paper details the innovative and pioneering design and roll out of the largest school based deworming programme in the world at that time. ​Reaching over 7 million school-aged children this government-led programme employed , education and health staff to conduct deworming in 7, schools in the State of Bihar. ​​The programme provided a model for using both strategic survey techniques and the expertise of the health and education sectors working together to enable the rapid and cost effective rollout of sustainable large scale school based deworming operations. This paradigm shift in programmatic thinking laid the foundation for scale up nationally in India and many other countries around the world. Download the PCD Working Paper ​

​Here are some startling facts for you, 38 million school meals are served up every school day and yet million children go to school hungry every school day. At the same time over 44 million children are classed as overweight. To tackle this issue, countries all over the world are looking at improving the diets of their school children by providing school meals that are fresh, healthy and nutritionally balanced and use locally grown ingredients. To support this, the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), Imperial College London, is working with governments in sub-Saharan Africa to develop sustainable school feeding programmes sourced from local farmers. Known asHome Grown School Feeding programmes​, these government-led programmes provide a ‘win-win’ for local communities by providing free nutritious school meals to children while at the same time providing a market for the produce of local farmers. To celebrate International School Meals Day, and tying in with theme of “Celebrating culture through food’, PCD has brought together some delicious traditional recipes for school meals, which are being served by schools that are at the forefront of the HGSF movement. ​​You can prepare your own traditional meal using PCD’s innovative, free to access online School Meals Planner. The easy to use School Meals Planner is designed for school caterers around the world to create nutritionally balanced and market-costed meals. The menu planner uses ginger bread mean to show how meals compare with the daily nutritional allowances as recommended by the World Health Organization​. Simply use the guest login​ and prepare your own meal! Ghana The Ghana School Feeding Programme provides nutritious hot meals sourced from local farmers to over .8 million children every school day. In its work with the Government one of the focus areas has been to see how to improve the nutritional intake of the school children. A key part of this has been through the use of the School Meals Planner which has enabled menus to be designed using locally available ingredients so that they meet the nutritional needs of the children. To promote the importance of healthy eating and hygiene local NGOs have been trained to become community-based health and nutrition champions. The Champions use posters, radio jingles and t-shirts to promote heathy eating and good hygiene messages to 4 local communities. Jollof Rice is one of Ghana’s national dishes and a favourite in schools across the country. Below is an easy-to-follow recipe of this tasty meal. Jollof rice with fish ​Ingredients 5g rice5g concentrated tomato paste3g anchovy filletsg oniong hot red pepper2 ml water ​ Method Add the tomato paste and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Sprinkle with chopped onion. Wash rice and add to the tomato mixture. Cook slowly, adding in the anchovy fillets after minutes and stir often during the first 3 minutes, keep tightly covered for a further 2-3 minutes on a very low heat. Mali Mali’s National School Feeding Programme feeds over 4, school children, the value placed on this programme was highlighted by the fact that school feeding continued throughout a violent and drawn out civil war. PCD is working with the government to identify how school feeding can benefit children, local farmers and the wider community. Tô with baobab leaf sauce During term time Malian school children enjoy eating Tô, one of Mali’s traditional dishes. This cake-like meal is made from cereal (millet, sorghum or maize) mixed with okra or baobab leaf sauce. Tô is commonly eaten as a sort of porridge and served with fish or meat. ​​​​​IngredientsTô​ pudding g cereal (millet, sorghum or maize) flour55ml waterSalt Boabab leaf sauce g diced meat (beef or lamb)2g Baobab leaf or 4 Okra-3 tbs pepper onion25ml oilChilli pepper (optional)Salt​ ​​Method to prepare the pudding Pour 5 ml of water into the flour and stir until a creamy mixture is formed. Bring the remaining water to a simmer and slowly add the flour and salt stirring continuously to obtain a thick, smooth even paste. Cover the pot leave for 5 minutes. Serve hot with the okra or baobab leaf sauce. Method to prepare the sauce Blend onion, baobab leaves and pepper until you have a brown paste. Brown off the meat in a pan and add paste. Bake for 2 minutes and add the chilli 5 minutes before serving.​Zanzibar Since its launch in May 24, Zanzibar’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme resulted in an increase in school enrollment by 8%. With malnutrition being a major concern in some of Zanzibar’s communities, farmers have been encouraged to supply schools with special nutrient rich crops such as orange fleshed sweet potato, which is very high in Vitamin A. Uji Porridge During term time children enjoy a traditional tasty “Uji” porridge with orange fleshed sweet potatoes and vegetables. ​IngredientsUji porridge g sorghum flour4 g cowpea flour25 g sugar3 g saltWater ​Orange Fleshed Sweet potatoes g potato2g oil5 ml water Vegetables per child per day 25 g spinach/beans/okra2 g oil3 g salt​​​ ​ Method for the porridge Mix the sorghum and cowpea flour in a bowl to make a paste. Add the flour paste into ml of boiling water and stir continuously for 3 minutes. Add the sugar. Add the salt and leave to boil for 2 minutes. Serve hot or warm. Method for the potatoes Skin the potatoes and add to saucepan along with the salt and 5ml water and salt. Boil for 45 minutes. Before serving add oil (this helps to absorb the Vitamin A). Serve hot with green vegetables. Nigeria The Osun State Elementary School Feeding and Health Programme, known locally as O’Meals, is extremely popular with the people of Osun State, Nigeria. This is not only because it supplies healthy nutritious meals to over 25, school children but also because over 3 new jobs have been created by it . In addition, 2 poultry farmers, 2 fish farmers and 2 cocoyam farmers supply the O’Meals programme. Osun now has the highest primary school enrolment rates in Nigeria. PCD is also working with other Nigerian state Governments to see how they can replicate Osun’s success. Steamed Rice with Egusi Stew A typical meal that children can expect is Steamed Rice with Egusi Stew garnished with Vegetables. ​Ingredients g of ground Egusi melon seeds5ml red palm oilg chicken CrayfishPepper and Salt to tasteLarge handful of Pumpkin leaves3 stock cubes ​ Method Boil chicken for minutes until cooked. Set this aside and heat palm oil in a pan. Once oil is clear, reduce heat and add the ground egusi melon seeds. Fry until the egusi becomes dry then, slowly add the chicken stock. Cover the pot and cook for 3 minutes. The egusi is done when the oil has risen to the surface and separated from the mix. If this is the case, add the chicken you boiled earlier and season. Finally, add the pumpkin leaves and bring to the boil. Serve with steamed rice. ​ Ethiopia In the Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples Region of Ethiopia, over 3, children are benefiting from a Home Grown School Feeding programme which looks to improve the health and education of the children. As well as serving healthy school meals, the Enhanced School Health Initiative, looks to provide clean water and hygienic toilets and treats the children for the parasitic worm infections that are common in the area. ​ Kinche Kinche is a commonly served breakfast porridge and is one of the three Home Grown School Feeding menus served daily to school children in Ethiopia. ​Ingredients cup cracked wheat3 cups water2 tbs of Kibe (spiced clarified butter)Salt to taste ​ Method Bring the water to boil on a medium high heat (you can mix milk with water). Add the cracked wheat, cover the pot and let it cook for 2 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Once cooked, turn off the heat, add the butter and salt to taste while it is still hot and mix in well.​ Now get cooking! You can't learn anything if you're hungry. ​​​​

​Over countries looking to move from externally funded to government-led school feeding programmes are being supported to do so using research tools developed by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development, World Bank​ and World Food Programme​. The tools form part of the World Bank’s Systems Approach For Better Education Results (SABER), which has been traditionally used in analyzing data on education systems around the world, highlighting relevant policies which promote education for all. Now, for the first time, SABER is being used in school feeding (SF), and the countries are part of the ‘SABER-SF’ pilot phases which begun in January and runs to July 25. The tools include a user manual, a comprehensive questionnaire and a scoring sheet, and information from these as well as specific SABER reports put together by the countries, will provide a comprehensive picture of current school feeding and school health​​ situations, the contributions of these interventions to global education achievements and poverty reduction. Importantly, the tools will also outline where there are existing policy gaps so governments and partners know where to focus resources on and what national and regional activities should be developed. Looking forward, this information will be widely disseminated to potential funders, UN partners and the World Bank so that effective support to school feeding programmes can be provided. ​​​Read more about SABER​.

​Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) is supporting countries to develop their schoolhealth policies which coordinate effective school health interventions improving the health, nutrition and development of schoolchildren across sub-Saharan Africa. To do this, PCD are supporting the use of renowned research tools, the World Bank's Systems Approach for Better Education Results and the FRESH partners M ampE core and thematic indicators, which used by the countries will develop roadmaps of school health policy development and analysis so key focus school health interventions can be identified. Monitoring the Ethiopia School Health Initiative As part of this support, in late 24 a School Health and Nutrition regional stakeholder's forum was held in Ethiopia's Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples' Region to review what and how school health policies work in the region. The forum was attended by the Regional Bureaus of Education and Water, the Federal Ministry of Education, World Food Programme, PCD and Dubai Cares. ​During and following the forum, PCD supported the development of an M ampE plan which will help the Ethiopia Government develop its national SHN strategy, looking at what school health intervention indicators are available, so that more school health initiatives can be rolled out across the country.The Ethiopia experience will be shared across sub-Saharan Africa, so other countries can carry out similar exercises which put into place effective school health programmes. ​

​​Ethiopia's national mapping of Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) control and its plans for nationwide control, as well as recent research into effective SHN programming have presented a multitude of possibilities to both disseminate and use this research to inform effective government decision making. To optimize on the wealth of data now becoming available and to coordinate various partners contributing to school health interventions in Ethiopia, a research committee was established in late 24, represented by researchers from the Ethiopian Public Health institute (EPHI), the Federal Ministry of Health, and Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development and Schistosomiasis Control Initiative. Creating A Research Action PlanIn December the committee coordinated a research meeting with the participation of senior researchers from PCD, SCI, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine​ and the University of Ghent discussed recent research findings from the NTD mapping and Ethiopia's Enhanced School Health Initiative.At the meeting the group 58 identified research gaps and priorities for NTD control the need to look at the school versus community based NTD treatment the overlap between NTD's and Water Sanitation and Hygiene and avenues for funding and support During the meeting, the experts outlined the value of this collaboration and decided to organise more regular scientific conferences on NTD research in Ethiopia. In addition to these meetings, the committee is also exploring avenues for sudy opportunities for young researches, capacity building events at EPHI on NTD mapping and academic writing, the validation of research data sets, and joint research publications which can be used by the Ethiopian and other governments to improve school health delivery.

​School health experts including representatives from the World Bank, Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD), Sightsavers and the Government of Cambodia recently joined together at a regional workshop to present on the role of schools in promoting effective child health and learning for all. During the workshop H.E. Nath Bunroeun, Secretary of State for Education, Government of Cambodia, said, quotSchool health is a major contributing factor to prevent vulnerable groups of children dropping out of school, nutrition and health programmes greatly reduce drop-out rates. quot The workshop, which ran from 4- February in Siem Reap, particularly focused on approaches to school-based vision screening and deworming as key elements of comprehensive School Health amp Nutrition programmes. H.E. Nath Bunroeun continued, quotRecent work on vision and health screening in Cambodian schools has shown that working closely with communities and teachers achieved remarkable results, teachers can screen children effectively and cost-efficiently for refractive errors. quot ​Representatives of the governments of Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam attended the workshop, titled 'Asia Regional Workshop on Inclusive School Health Programmes in Support of Learning for All', along with representatives of civil society organisations and United Nations agencies. During the three days school visits also took place so participants could learn about successful programmes in the local context. ​​Download PCD's presentation​

To improve the health, nutrition and development of schoolchildren in and around Kenya’s Kakuma Refugee Camp, Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development​ have begun assessing children’s handwashing behavior, parasitic worm prevalence, and nutritional and vision status​. From October – November 7 last year, PCD in collaboration with Kenya's Medical Research Institute and other partners collected data across 3 schools specifically on 58 School level water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assessment and related attitudes and behaviors Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) prevelance of, trachoma, soil transmitted helminths, schisotosomiasis and malaria​ using samples collected from 2,85 schoolchildrenVisual and eye abnormalitiesWasting, stunting and underweight status of children,Eating behaviors, hygiene habits and dietary intake carried out by interviews with over 3 mothers or guardiansInformation gathered from the camp is being used to inform the government and key partners operating in the camp - the World Food Programme and the United Nations High Commission on Refugees on what areas on challenges and areas of focus to improve the children's health and development in the best way possible. In addition to this, PCD are using the data findings to create behavioural changing materials such as posters, teacher manuals and radio jingles to help teach children good WASH practices, how to reduce and prevent the spread of NTDs and what are the best available foods. All of which will help to improve children's as well as their families health and nutrition. Initial findings showed 58 WASH ​Most schools had access to a water supply, but it was insufficient in terms of quantity All schools have sanitation access, but this is not always used Most of the schools never arrange for latrine pits or septic tanks to be emptied, and half of schools had at least one overflowing latrine. Nutrition .3% of all boys surveyed were malnourished ​Children between 5 and 7 years old had severe acute under nutrition and 78.5% had moderate acute under nutritionChronic malnutrition was suggested as stunting of .4 (where 8.4 suggested schoolchildren were moderately stunted) Mothers and guardians interviewed showed very little awareness of food fortification and knowledge on food vitamins. Helminth Infections Common NTDs such as schistosomiasis were rare, but trachoma - which commonly causes blindness if not treated was high in prevalence affecting 9% of students 22% of children were anaemic, showing a strong correlation to malaria infection

​In Ethiopia teachers and student leaders have greatly benefited from water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education and attitudes and handwashing practices have been significantly improved through latrine maintenance. These were findings from a recent assessment, carried out by Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD) and Dubai Cares​ who looked at WASH infrastructures and handwashing behaviours in schools within Ethiopia's School Health Initiative (ESHI). ESHI is a comprehensive pilot programme integrating school feeding, WASH and the deworming of harmful parasitic worm infections to improve the health, nutrition and education of over 3, children. Over the last year, one of the ESHI partners - Dutch development organization, SNV put the WASH structures in place, alongside carrying out hygiene promotion and community capacity building to reduce disease and poor health among 8, schoolchildren. PCD and Dubai Cares also found that in half of the 5 schools they assessed water access remained a challenge despite new handwashing stations having been put in place. To combat this, PCD are working with the local partners to advocate for improved and continuous water supply with local environment and water bureaus.Measures are also being undertaken to continue the maintenance of WASH infrastructures, WASH activities and to ensure that district authorities are involved in monitoring activities. The review was undertaken through observational surveys and interviews with school directors, and by assessing water and soap access, latrine cleanliness and considering what kind of construction they were.The assessment of WASH facilities in the region forms part of PCD's operational research - one component of the programme. Through this research, PCD are looking at what works well and what can work better to inform the government on the best way possible to implement the programme to benefit as many schoolchildren as possible. ​Click to read about ESHI​.

​​​The Government of South Africa’s new national deworming programme will deworm 7 million primary school children by the end of 25 was one of the key outcomes of ​a recent meeting in Boksburg, South Africa. This announcement was made at a special meeting of school health and nutrition experts convened to inform the implementation and roll of a national deworming programme. The deworming programme is part of a comprehensive approach to improving the health and education of the South Africa’s school children as laid out by the country's Integrated School Health Programme and is linked with the National School Nutrition Programme. ​​​ The announcement was made by Deputy Director-General for Social Mobilisation and Support Services, Dr Granville Whittle, who identified the damage that infections of soil transmitted helminths such as roundworm, whipworm and hookworm where having on the country's school children. “Deworming all primary school children in South Africa is the right thing to do.” Dr Whittle added that the programme would only be feasible if the private sector, civil society and education stakeholders come on board to assist Government in providing health services to children. A budget of R3 million has already been made available to primary school learners.​ ​SHN experts convene to discuss integrating deworming into national SHN programmes (Image 58 Laura Appleby)​​​ ​Speaking at the event Dr Laura Appleby, from the Partnership for Child Development​, Imperial College London, said, “The evidence shows that school –based deworming, is safe, effective and one of the most cost effective ways to improve the health and education of school aged children. This national programme is fantastic news for the health South Africa’s children.” ​​The UNICEF funded meeting was attended by officials from the Departments of Basic Education, Health, Social Development and development partners, international NGOs and research / academic institutions.Click here for more information on deworming

​​The Ministry of Health amp Family Welfare today launched the first 'National Deworming Day' -a massive school-based deworming​ effort in twelve states on Tuesday February .Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister for Health amp Family Welfare inaugurated the national programme, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, together with Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Rajendra Rathore, Minister for Health amp Family Welfare, Government of Rajasthan, in the presence of senior officials from the Central and State Government.National Deworming Day is a groundbreaking initiative focused on reducing the threat of parasitic worm infections, a widespread health issue affecting over 24 million children in India alone. India has the highest burden of soil-transmitted helminths--parasitic worms--in the world. Parasitic worms in children interfere with nutrient uptake, and can contribute to anemia​, malnourishment​, and impaired mental and physical development. According to the 22 report 'Children in India', published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Govt. of India, 48% of children under the age of five years are stunted and 9.8% are wasted, indicating that half of the country's children are malnourished.Jagat Prakash Nadda said, quotThe early years of a child are the most critical and significant. I am confident that if the comprehensive set of actions identified in National Deworming Day Guidelines is fully implemented, children will have improved health outcomes and be able to achieve their potential to the fullest. quotMass, school-based deworming is safe, cost-effective, and can scale to millions of schools quickly. Deworming has been shown to reduce absenteeism in schools, improve learning outcomes, and increase the likelihood of higher wage jobs later in life. The timely, high quality, mass-based deworming programme for children of pre-school and school age children in India will dramatically reduce the harm caused by parasitic worm infections in millions of children in India. The Government of India is launching a fixed one-day school-based program to ensure intensive deworming coverage and targeted outreach. Community mobilization efforts are also undertaken to engage community-based health workers and other local institutions.Read the original article​.

​ ​​As we enter 25, the year when the Millennium Development Goals​ ​will be reviewed and new targets created, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have announced its quotbig bet quot - a call for action for improving the lives of poor people over the next 5 years through disease elimination, improved health, access to technology and education. Specifically, the Gates Annual Letter​ ​predicts that with support from the international community, major breakthroughs will be seen through innovations delivering vaccines, nutritious and sustainable crops and accessible technologies, allowing those living on the periphery to liv​e long and healthy lives. Innovations for Improved Child Health and Education ​The Partnership for Child Development​'s (PCD) are committed to making these predictions a reality, working on innovations which use the school as a platform to deliver effective health and education programmes​ to schoolchildren - a group that the Gates Foundation predicts will double in 5 years. These government-led programmes, such as the provision of spectacles for children with poor vision, promoting good water, sanitation and hygiene practices and infrastructure and feeding children hot nutritious meals, ensure children are healthy, able to learn and stay in school. If twice as many children are to enter school-age by 23, ensuring they all grow into healthy adults must be a focus. Disease Elimination In its letter, the Gates Foundation has called for the elimination of polio alongside the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) guinea worm and lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis​ and blinding trachoma by 23. ​​​​ With additional time, resources and funding other NTDs which disproportionately impact on children such as schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths can also be addressed in this time. Today ​​4 million children around the world ​​suffer from these NTDs, which significantly impact on their health, education and development. ​​The cost of eliminating these NTDs are minimal - through school-based deworming at less than 5 US cents per child per year its benefits are both immediate and enduring. Innovations in Technology The quotbig bet quot outlines the impact of access to cheaper technologies - and particularly the value of mobile phones for improved learning and promoting digital banking. Mobile phones can also be an asset for smallholder farmers. PCD are looking at how mobiles can be used by farmers​ to access markets within Kenya's Home Grown School Feeding programme, a government-led intervention which procures food used in school meals locally from smallholder farmers, benefiting both farmers and children alike. This innovation looks at whether farmers groups can gain better access to market information through mobile phone alerts, so farmers know when schools are procuring food, how much is needed and at what quality. ​​​​

It is time for a dose of pragmatism 58 2 million children and young adolescents are out of school and we do not stand a chance of reaching them by continuing to pursue a one-size-fits-all approach to education.The optimism of 'build more schools and they shall come' will not reach refugees, children who work, children who face discrimination based on gender, ethnicity or disability. Even worse, building more schools will not help the estimated 3 million children who fail to learn basic reading and math skills despite reaching Grade 4.Simply expanding educational systems has clearly failed to reach all children. As the international community works to establish new development goals, it will be imperative to focus on the children who were left behind. We believe that robust data on out-of-school children can help. A new report​ from UNICEF and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) demonstrates how the latest data and policy analysis can help us move forward. The report, Fixing the Broken Promise of Education for All 58 Findings from the Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children, draws on data from 2 country studies and seven regional studies. Funded by the Global Partnership for Education, it serves as a roadmap to improve the data, research and policies that are needed to reach the most marginalized children. What data tell usData can tell us who the out-of-school children are, where they live, and why they are excluded. Data also enable us to develop and evaluate policies designed to reach excluded children. A new data exploration tool that accompanies the report presents a nuanced picture of out-of-school children around the world and pinpoints the critical factors that drive exclusion. It also shows the ways in which data can be used for effective policymaking, especially when resources are scarce. The way forward As the world embarks on a new development agenda, we must invest in better data so we can more effectively reach out-of-school children. Experience from the Global Initiative on Out-School-Children shows some important first steps. Delve deeper into existing data sources Administrative data collected by education ministries can be used to determine where and when students start school late or drop out. Household surveys are another rich source. And adding education questions to these surveys would throw brighter light on the most marginalized children. Indeed, information from these sources can unlock valuable insights for policymakers. Invest in collecting data on vulnerable groups If we do not target data collection, vulnerable groups will continue to be overlooked. For example, the initiative on out-of-school children has collected detailed data on children who were living in shelters or on the streets in conflict-affected provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The survey was a first step towards developing and implementing effective education policies to provide educational opportunities for these children.Similarly, in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, a new system has been put in place to monitor children with disabilities – children who are often overlooked by education policies. Use new technologies to identify and reach at-risk children Improving links between different national data sources can improve the monitoring of children as they move through the education system. But to benefit truly from advances in information management systems, national and district-level authorities need greater support and training.And finally, it is critical to increase financial and technical support to national statistical offices and education ministries. Better data and more innovative tools will help governments and donors spend their education budgets more wisely. But these data will also help us reach the world's most marginalized children.The Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children – a UNICEF and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) partnership – works in more than 5 countries to identify which children are out of school, assess the barriers of exclusion and develop innovative policies so they can go to school and learn. The Initiative is funded by the Global Partnership for Education and the World Bank.By Jo Bourne and Albert Motivans ​​Original article from UNICEF Connect​ ​

Eth​iopia is launching a national initiative in schools this year to treat children at risk of infection from parasitic worms, mirroring a programme in Kenya which has improved child health and school attendance, a charity involved said. Ethiopia aims to treat at least 8 percent of children at risk from parasitic worms by 22, Evidence Action said. The Horn of Africa nation, ravaged by famine in the 98s, has received international praise for the way it has improved its national health system, notably via community programmes. The country of about 9 million people has more than million children at risk for schistosomiasis, a parasite found in contaminated lakes or other freshwater sites, and 8 million children at risk from soil-transmitted helminths, parasitic worms, the U.S.based charity said. Infections can prevent children benefiting from nutrients in their food, leading to anaemia, malnourishment, impaired development and other health problems. Kenya has a similar programme where Evidence Action is working with the Kenyan government. Skills learned there will be leveraged in Ethiopia, the charity said. In the second phase of the Kenyan programme that ended in March 24, .4 million children were treated in more than 5, schools in regions facing the highest risk. The Kenyan programme has helped cut school absenteeism by about 25 percent at a cost of about $3 million a year, in addition to drugs donated by pharmaceutical firms, Evidence Action said. Schools offer an effective medium to distribute the drugs as they can be administered by teachers after some simple training, the charity said. Most children receive one tablet a year. quotSchool-based deworming would not have been an option 2 years ago when enrolment rates in Sub-Saharan Africa were much lower, quot said Katrin Verclas at Evidence Action, speaking about the Kenyan project in Nairobi last year. Enrolment has since risen across the continent. In Kenya, it climbed when free primary education was introduced in 23, which pushed enrolment up from about percent to more than 8 percent by 29. Rural school teachers say free deworming treatment has helped improve enrolment further in their areas. Ethiopia’s deworming programme will use funding from a range of sources, including the government, private donors, the health-focused charity the END Fund and the British government's Department for International Development. The Kenyan project also has backing from the END Fund, as well as from the Children's Investment Fund Foundation charity.​ Original article from Fox News​.

​For 22-year-old Claribel, making ends meet is a challenge. She and her family live in a remote, marginalized community in the Dominican Republic with little access to health services and clean water – conditions which place Claribel's family at risk for contracting Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as intestinal worms. Claribel's three children, Altagracia (), Wardin (3) and Nismael (2), eat arroz con habichuelas (rice and beans) for nearly every meal, and they rarely have access to essential protein and vegetables.​While Claribel's children are eating enough calories, they still suffer from undernutrition because their diets are deficient in the essential vitamins and minerals necessary for proper physical and mental development. At the same time, they are also suffering from intestinal worms – also referred to as soil transmitted helminths (STH) – which cause, aggravate and intensify the loss of nutrients, especially vitamin A and iron. Plagued by both undernutrition and NTDs, the children have low energy and sometimes cry for no apparent reason. Intestinal worm infections place these children at greater risk for vitamin A deficiency (VAD) because the worms prevent their bodies from absorbing what little vitamin A they have in their diets.Unfortunately, Claribel's story reflects a global problem. Millions of children across Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and Africa suffer from deficiencies in Vitamin A, iron and other critical nutrients that their bodies need to grow and fight illness -- in addition to NTD infections. The combined effects are devastating, resulting in impaired growth, decreased cognitive function, anemia and even death.This is why organizations like Children Without Worms, Vitamin Angels, the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases, and the Partnership for Child Development and pharmaceutical companies and many other global partners are working together to address intestinal worms and undernutrition. This partnership, called the STH Coalition, is helping children across the world reach their full potential through a multi-sectoral approach, leveraging delivery platforms and expertise from the health, education, nutrition and water and sanitation community.Delivering deworming treatments with Vitamin A supplements and other nutrition interventions has shown promising health outcomes, including reduced anemia, lower child mortality, improved child growth and development and overall improved nutrition. In the long-term, this integrated approach can reduce school absenteeism and improve worker productivity.Just one dose of vitamin A, twice a year, can reduce mortality rates by up to 24 percent.For at-risk children from six months to five-years-old, just one dose of vitamin A, twice a year, can reduce mortality rates by up to 24 percent. Moreover, for children 2 months of age or older, simultaneous administration of a single dose of a deworming treatment, like albendazole, kills worms living in a child's system.For Claribel's children, Altagracia, Wardin and Nismael, the benefits of this integrated approach are clear. Thanks to the support of Vitamin Angels and global partners, the children received both vitamin A and albendazole. Lately, they have been more energetic and Claribel is grateful for the change she is seeing in her children. Inspired by her desire to see her children succeed, Claribel is now taking classes to receive her high school diploma and dreams that her children will one day find a good job doing something that makes them happy.Claribel is now taking classes to receive her high school diploma and dreams that her children will one day find a good job doing something that makes them happy.The international development community has the opportunity to act now in order to foster future success stories. By focusing new energy toward eliminating the policy, programme and resource gaps that hinder existing efforts to end both intestinal worms and undernutrition, global partners can accelerate impact. Simply put, the development community should embrace a coordinated, integrated response to address both problems. Given the strong momentum behind the fight to end NTDs and the growing unified movement to end undernutrition, now is a propitious time to identify synergies in policies, leverage delivery platforms and foster greater collaboration across sectors to deliver high-impact health and nutrition solutions to families like Claribel's. ​​By Clayton Ajello, David Addiss and Dr. Neeraj Mistry. ​Original article from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

​The 4th School Health and Nutrition (SHN) training course wrapped up on Tuesday 2 December, having brought together over 37 participants from 2 countries in the region. Participants represented ministries of health and education, academia and civil society. ​​The course was organised for the 4th time by Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development, ​Mahidol University and the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research. Over the course's ten days, lectures and workshops were delivered by international experts on SHN topics deworming, WASH, school feeding, inclusion of children with disabilities and disaster management, alongside sessions on policy and health education. To enhance the interactive nature of the course, participants took part in break-out sessions where they worked on their SHN country action plans, later presented on day 9 of the course. ​Cross Learning Learning from the Thai experience was also a key feature of the course midway through the course, participants visited health promoting and inclusive SHN schools. The health promoting school's infrastructure included a school infirmary, mosquito repellent measures, a school garden and helminthes disease control. At the inclusive school, both students and teachers facilities were observed and participants were able to discuss in-depth with teachers. ​Click to read more​​ ​Course Presentations Course Information​ (download) ​​Presentations Day (download)​​ Presentations Day (download) Presentations Day 2​ (download) Presentations Day 3 (download) Presentations Day 4 (download) Presentations Day 5 (download) Presentations Day 7 (download) Presentations Day 8 (download) Presentations Day 9 (download)

​​​​The interactive Neglected Tropical Disease (NTDs) Mapping Tool www.NTDMap.org, used by key decision makers and researchers to control NTDs, was relaunched this week to include offline functionality and Google technology. The new version relies on Google Maps Engine allowing high-speed processing, users can also download layers and work on their maps in offline mode using their own geographical software. ​ The tool provide downloads for the geographical distribution and treatment coverage of NTDs including schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths, ​those that are particularly prevalent in school children. It also maps safe water and sanitation access. The NTD Mapping Tool is a collaboration between GAHI, the International Trachoma Initiative, Children Without Worms, the International Coalition for Trachoma Control and the Task Force for Global Health. ​Click here for more information

​​Equity is a guiding theme of the proposals in the Open Working Group outcome document on the global development agenda post-25. The report explicitly recognizes people with disabilities in 5 of the 7 goals, including education. In order to effectively monitor and evaluate progress towards achieving this vision we need timely, high quality data on both people with disabilities and the environmental barriers they face. In general, this has not been possible in most countries. In fact, until recently there were no generally agreed upon questions for identifying people with disabilities that had been tested widely in developing countries.​ Fortunately, this situation is changing. Drawing upon the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, the UN Statistical Commission’s Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG), comprising representatives from dozens of national statistical offices across the globe, has developed and tested a short set of six questions for identifying people with disabilities. ​The main aim is to include these questions as a regular part of every national census and survey – for example, household income and expenditure surveys, labour force surveys, demographic and health surveys. This will allow all currently constructed indicators to be disaggregated by disability status. If accomplished, this will be a major achievement, allowing us to produce timely, high quality indicators to monitor progress on the post-25 priorities. ​Click to read more. ​

​​​​Last week, the Interamerican Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development​ (iiDi) ​​was awarded by Uruguay's National Disabilities Commission for its work on promoting sexual and reproductive health messaging among the deaf youth community. ​Specifically, the award 'Eslabon Solidario' commends iiDi's for training deaf adolescents as peer educators and developing videos and materials on sexual and reproductive health, widely disseminated in the country. Since 2, iiDi, supported by Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development​, have developed inclusive school health activities in Uruguay and Brazil. ​The National Disabilities Commission was created in 988 to promote national policies to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. The award Eslabon Solidario was institutionalized in 999 to distinguish those persons, public or private organizations, businesses, and media which have developed actions to promote disability rights.​ ​Read more about the work of the iiDi​ Read more about Inclusive Education​

​​This interactive map​ from​ SciDev Net shows the percentages and ratio of disabled and non-disabled children in school across 29 countries.Disabled children are commonly believed to be largely excluded from school in developing countries, but a new study shows that the difference between disabled and non-disabled children’s attendance is lower than expected. Coauthor Hannah Kuper of the London School of Hygiene amp Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom, recently told SciDev.Net that the findings should shift development sector debates away from a focus on merely getting disabled children into school and encourage greater consideration of the quality of education disabled children get. Kuper and her colleagues analysed a survey of almost one million children supported by children’s charity Plan. Across these nations, disabled and non-disabled children were surveyed about issues such as education, health and poverty. The interactive map above includes data on 29 of these nations. The survey found that, although the majority of disabled children were in school, they experience greater discrimination than non-disabled children. The researchers found no clear relationship between disability and poverty, but disabled children were less likely than non-disabled children to be in school and were more likely to have reported a serious illness in the last year. The interactive map shows how access to school for disabled and non-disabled children varies among the surveyed countries. To quantify the imbalance between these groups, the researchers compared their respective school attendances. The resulting ‘odds ratio’ reflects the level of inequality between the two populations 58 the higher the number, the higher the inequality. It was calculated by comparing the percentage of disabled and non-disabled children in schools before correcting for age and gender imbalances within these groups. Among the surveyed countries, disabled children were most discriminated against in educational terms in Colombia, which has a ratio of 2. Mozambique and Zimbabwe, on the other hand, both had relatively low discrimination rates against disabled children.​​ Click to read the original article​.

​By Professor Sir Roy Anderson (London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research), and Sunit Bagree (Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London) The criticisms of the European response to Ebola have been manifold, with the death toll from the epidemic likely to be far higher than current official figures, and the social and economic legacy of the crisis in the most affected countries predicted to be very painful. But given Europe’s lack of engagement with neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), it is perhaps not that surprising. There are no alarmist Hollywood movies about the 7 diseases which can be grouped together by the term NTDs. Yet their cumulative impact on the over .4 billion people who are affected by them is every bit as devastating as any fictional outbreak. NTDs are a global problem that require a global response. In 22 the likes of Bill Gates, the UK and US governments, big pharma and the UN agencies came together to pool resources and issue the London Declaration on NTDs, to control and eliminate these diseases by 22. Yet aside from the UK, other European Union member states, along with the European Commission (EC), are very much on the margins of this global movement. This is peculiar considering the EC’s strong commitments to global health and the fact that no other continent can match Europe’s concentration of Tropical Medicine research centres. A new policy paper​ from Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development highlights the EC’s lack of engagement concerning two NTDs that are particularly prevalent amongst schoolchildren, namely schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STH). These two treatable NTDs cause pain, stunted growth, anaemia and lower cognitive skills in over 4 million school children worldwide. Periodic drug treatment for children in schools – known as school-based deworming – represents a highly strategic approach to tackling these two diseases because it is cheap, effective and can be delivered at great scale. For example, over 7 million children were dewormed in the Indian state of Bihar in 2 for less than 25 rupees (25 pence) per child. The results are very impressive. For instance, research associated with the Primary School Deworming Programme in Kenya demonstrated that school-based deworming increased school attendance by 7.5% and led to higher wage earnings of over 2% in adulthood. Integrated programmes that deliver deworming, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health education and nutrition interventions are potentially even more cost-effective. This is not entirely alien territory for the EC. The organisation has officially recognised the need to ‘promote children’s health at school’. And under its previous research programme, known as Framework Programme 7, approximately €24. m​illion (£9.4 million) was dedicated to tackling schistosomiasis, STH and two other NTDs (admittedly a tiny amount compared to the EC’s investment in, for example, HIV/AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis). However, there have been few genuine policy commitments made by the EC in the area of NTDs. The low prioritisation of NTDs within the EC’s health and development agenda is underlined by the fact that NTDs have not been included in the first period (24-25) of the EC’s new research programme, known as Horizon 22. With its financial resources, technical capacity and global network, the EC can and should play a central role in the global effort to combat NTDs. Despite the success of school-based deworming programmes, certain research and development (R ampD) and operational challenges exist, which the EC is well placed to help address. Health-related R ampD is a major strength of many European countries, which the EC can leverage in the fight against NTDs. Specific EC mechanisms such as the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership have the potential to contribute to the development of new products for NTDs, as well as to enhance national research capacities in developing countries. On the operational side, the distribution of drugs can be problematic in some low- and middle-income countries. The EC can assist national governments to make informed requests to the World Health Organization for donated drugs, and also help to remove bottlenecks in drug distribution within countries by facilitating effective collaboration between different ministries. If it is to rise to this task, the EC requires a clear policy on NTDs, and it must ensure that the control and elimination of schistosomiasis and STH are integrated into its education, nutrition and WASH strategies and interventions. In addition, the EC needs to work with the WHO and national governments to prepare and implement integrated plans for NTD control that markedly include school-based deworming programmes. After a slow start Europe is now coordinating​​ its response to Ebola. The hope must be that Europe will also start focusing its expertise and resources for the sake of the billion plus people whose lives are damaged by other, less headline-friendly, diseases. ​Original Article featured on Diplomatic Aspects​.

​Mark Williams MP calls for disability to be recognised as a core development issue and not neglected as quottoo complex quot. Education is fundamental to ending the poverty, discrimination and exclusion faced by disabled people in developing countries, yet it is estimated that in most countries, disabled children are more likely to be out of school than any other group of children. Disability has long been neglected as a “niche” area of development, deemed by many to be too complex or too small an issue to be core to development efforts. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) failed to mention disability, yet we now know that disabled people make up an estimated 5% of the global population (approximately one billion disabled people), and that disability is both a cause and a consequence of poverty. 8% of disabled people live in developing countries and the UN calls them “the world’s largest minority”.Having travelled to Tanzania and Nigeria in this part as part of my role as Co-Chair of the APPG on Global Education for All, and from my previous career as a primary school teacher, the provision of educational facilities to those with disabilities is something which I am passionate about. I welcome recent announcements and progress made on this issue by DFID. Following their response to the International Affairs Select Committee Report earlier this year, DFID is developing a new ‘Disability Framework’ which is very welcome, but which must prioritise education, and the accessibility of education for those with disabilities. We must also ensure the ‘Disability Framework’ is implemented properly and is action-oriented with strong accountability mechanisms, requiring DFID teams to implement and report on whether they are reaching and including children with disabilities in UK aid programmes and funding. While I commend the very positive commitment which has been made to ensure UK-funded school construction is accessible to disabled children, this is not the only thing needed. Physical accessibility needs to be complemented by attitude change, and by inclusive teaching and learning environments. As I saw for myself in Tanzania, there is only so far installing a ramp in a school can go in helping to deliver a disabled child’s education. All teacher-training programmes supported by UK aid must promote inclusive teaching approaches, and all education aid programmes should include a measure of whether they are reaching disabled children and young people. All children with disabilities have the same right to an education as every other child, and UK aid can help support the resourcing of inclusive education – which ultimately benefits all children, not just children with disabilities, and helps change societal attitudes and negative discrimination about disability. The appalling lack of data available is major barrier to the recognition of disability as a core development issue. However, with improvements in data over recent years, there is now an unprecedented opportunity to bring the needs of disabled people into the light, and I welcome the positive moves DFID has taken on this. As we approach the Post-25 Millennium Development Goal negotiations, DFID must seek to ensure that the needs and rights of disabled people are recognised as an agreed priority in the final goals and targets. International negotiations will be difficult, with many different agendas, so I hope that DFID will work to ensure that the ‘leave no-one behind’ target doesn’t get lost.​Read the original article from Yahoo News​.

​​​​​​​​​​School health and nutrition (SHN) experts, funders and the private sector celebrated the Partnership for Child Development (PCD)’s AGM in November 24, looking at progress the organisation has made over the last year to advance government-led SHN programmes around the world. During the meeting, PCD’s programme experts and researchers outlined their work on 58 inclusive education, deworming and Home Grown School Feeding, alongside PCD’s background, ways forward and advocacy, communications and partnerships. ​​​Download the AGM presentations​. Key Areas of PCD's Work ​Home Grown School Feeding ​ Child Vision HIV/AIDS SHN Training Courses FRESH Inclusive Education​ Other Useful Links​ ​Presentations from the AGM 23 PCD's Annual Report 23 - 24​ About PCD​

​​​Schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (STH) are two neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that particularly affect school-age children’s health, education and future productivity. Over 4 million school-age children are infected by these diseases and hundreds of millions more are vulnerable to them. Periodic drug treatment for children in schools – known as school-based deworming – represents a highly strategic and cost-effective approach to tackling STH and schistosomiasis. Integrated programmes that deliver deworming, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health education and other key interventions which can lead to even greater long-term impact. Progress So Far The signing of the London Declaration on NTDs in 22​ generated strong momentum at the global level to tackle NTDs, including schistosomiasis and STH. As a result of the London Declaration, a number of powerful partnerships (involving national governments, official donors, philanthropic foundations, the private sector and civil society) have been formed, leading to increased investment, including greater drug donations on the part of the pharmaceutical industry. A Role for the European Commission Despite commitments made by key stakeholders, a new policy paper​ from Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development outlines that the European Commission ​(EC) has been on the margins of the growing global movement against NTDs. And with its financial resources, technical capacity and global network, the EC could and should play a pivotal role in necessitating action against NTDs at both global and national levels. Recommendations Among its recommendations, the paper outlines the EC should 58 Develop a policy on NTDs that clearly recognises the threat that these diseases pose to global health, education and nutrition. Ensure that the control and elimination of schistosomiasis and STH are integrated into its education, nutrition and WASH strategies and programmes. Work with the World Health Organization and national governments to prepare and implement integrated plans for NTD control that markedly include school-based deworming programmes. Significantly increase funding to R ampD for NTDs, in particular schistosomiasis and STH, and help national governments to address operational challenges experienced by school-based deworming programmes. Promote NTDs on the international stage, including in the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. Read more in the policy paper, School-Based Deworming 58 A Clear Role for the European Commission [download]

​A global shortage of teachers has pressured many countries into hiring educators with little or no training, undermining the educational progress of numerous school-age children around the world, the United Nations education agency warned today.In a press release ahead of World Teacher’s Day, marked annually on 5 October, the Institute for Statistics of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reported that at least 93 countries have “an acute teacher shortage,” adding that some four million teachers would have to be recruited to achieve universal primary education by 25 when the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) are expected to be met.“A quality universal primary education will remain a distant dream for millions of children living in countries without enough trained teachers in classrooms,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova through the press release.“Teachers are the core of any education system. Hiring and training new and already established teachers is fundamental to protecting children’s ability to learn in school.”The new findings note that, of all the areas surveyed, Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest shortage, accounting for two-thirds of the overall number of teachers needed by 23. The problem, added UNESCO, is being additionally exacerbated by the region’s steadily growing school-age population.​Click to read more​.

​Children affected by the 28 food crisis in Peru show stunting can be reversed. Is it time to focus beyond the first , days?In 28 there was a terrible food crisis in Peru. The price o​f rice doubled in three months and millions of families were struggling to put food on the table. Six years on, thousands of Peruvian children who were babies and toddlers during the food crisis are much smaller than they should be. And for many, their cognitive skills development has been negatively affected too.Children's bodies and brains develop fastest when they're in the womb and during the first two years of their lives 58 the first thousand days. And it's during this crucial period that physical stunting and cognitive impairment can really set in if pregnant mothers and babies miss out on adequate nutrition.Research has suggested that early stunting and its effects are irreversible. So will these Peruvian children's futures be permanently blighted because they weren't getting enough to eat when they were little?At Young Lives we've been studying the progress of 2, children in Peru, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and India – measuring all aspects of their physical, cognitive, and social development since 22. We've been following the development of children who were undernourished early in their lives and we've discovered that the effects of early undernutrition aren't always irreversible. Some children in our studies were able to recover from early stunting and develop normally. In particular, our results show that around 5% of children in Peru who were stunted in 22, when they were around a year old, were not stunted in 29. The same figure was around 45% for India.So while the first thousand days are very important, the rest of a child's life is too. It now seems clear that children can recover from stunting after their first thousand days.Our findings indicate that factors like household income, maternal education and health, local water, sanitation and health infrastructure, which are key to stunting prevention, are also important for recovery from stunting.Recovery from stunting after the first thousand days may also lead to the reversal of developmental setbacks such as cognitive impairment. Our findings suggest that children who recovered from early stunting performed better in vocabulary and mathematics tests than children who remained stunted. School meals, cash transfer and health programmes can helpThis and other evidence suggests that school feeding programmes may help undernourished children to recover from stunting. Young Lives fin​dings show that India's national school feeding programme helped children to recover from a decline in growth due to a severe drought when they were one-year-old. In Peru, national feeding programmes, such as Qali Warma and Vaso de Leche may have helped children who became stunted as a result of the food crisis to recover.Conditional cash transfer programmes that provide financial incentives to poor households to invest in children's health may also be a powerful instrument in the fight against child undernutrition​. An example of such a programme in Peru is Juntos, which requires that children below the age of five in families that receive the support, must attend health facilities for comprehensive healthcare and nutrition.To prevent stunting, there are potential benefits to extending the coverage of early child development programmes to older children. For example, Cuna Mas in Peru, which aims to improve development for children living in poverty, could be extended from children younger than three to children younger than six-years-old.There's no doubt about the importance of the first thousand days for a child's growth and development, so nutrition intervention needs to start early. But intervention shouldn't always end when the child reaches two. It needs to be sustained throughout childhood and target the most stunted and undernourished children so they have a decent chance to recover.​ Read the original article from the Guardian​ Improving nutrition in low income families 58 how marketing can help​ From child hunger to obesity 58 Brazil's new health scourge Malnutrition in conflict 58 the psychological cause

International Day of the Girl Child on October looked at ending violence against girls by empowering adolescents. Education is one of the most powerful tools to enhance girls' opportunities, freedom and promote better life choices so they can be forces for change in their families, communities and countries. For the day the UN's GirlUp campaign launched GIRLHERO​, a chance for the community to share images of girls who have inspired us. One of our girl hero's is Malala You​safza​i, recent Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who undeterred after being shot for going to school now fights for girls education everywhere. Download resources on Education​

​Going home with a rumbling stomach after a long day at work or school is something that's happened to us all. But for each of us who are greeted by the sight of well-stocked cupboards, many others – including children – go to bed hungry. This can make a big difference to their everyday lives and long-term future.One in nine people on the planet – 85 million people – do not get the food they need for a healthy lifeThree-quarters of all hungry people live in rural areas, mainly in the villages of Asia and AfricaAround million children of primary school age across the developing world attend class on an empty stomachOne in four children around the world suffer from stunted growth or development due to a lack of nutritious foodA lack of nutritious food can cost an individual more than % of their lifetime earnings through lost productivityTo address this Unilever is working with the World Food Programme's (WFP) Home Grown School Meals​ Programme to address child malnutrition. In 24 alone, this support is enabling WFP to provide over 9m school meals in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Ecuador, Myanmar and the Philippines. And on World Food Day on October, Unilever's brand Knorr donated m meals to school children around the world.And we can all help to make a difference to the people behind the statistics. Join a community of like-minded people to create a brighter future by pledging your support for zero hunger here.​ Click to read the original article​. Useful Links ​Home Grown School Feeding School Nutrition Family Farming - World Food Day​ ​​ Rethinking School Feeding 58 Social Safety Nets, Child Development and the Education Sector (download) State of School Feeding Worldwide​ (download)

Rights activists on Saturday walked through major streets in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital to mark the 24 International Day of the Girl Child and to push for more attention to be given to the girl child.According to them, the Nigerian state has not accorded the girl child the needed prominence she deserved in the society.International Day of the Girl Child was set aside by the United Nations in 2 to increase awareness of the inequalities faced globally by the girl child, and this year's theme was focused, ‘Empowering Adolescent Girls 58 Ending the Cycle of Violence’.According the the UN, about 2 million girls between the ages of 5 and 9 globally are victims of physical abuse.In Nigeria, such abuses include rape, kidnapping, societal discrimination which often lead to lack of education for the girl child, practices that Nwaruruahu Shield Tolulope Lawal, two of the activists, condemned.While commending the Nigerian government for including women in its administration, activists say more opportunities should be given to the girl child.Three years after this day was set aside, many people are beginning to see the importance of a girl child in the society.It is hoped that with this kind of awareness created every year, the girl child would be recognised the same way her male counterparts were respected around the world. Nigeria's Channels TV Coverage on International Day of the Girl Child ​ Click to read the original article​. ​

Originally created for children and schools Global Handwashing Day on October 5 is celebrated by over 2 million people in over countries worldwide. The day aims to promote the benefits of handwashing with soap and to raise awareness on the state of handwashing in all countries. Shining Light on Neglected Tropical Disease Prevention​One significant benefit of handwashing with soap is its impacts on reducing the prevalance of parasitic worms and sticky Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) infections which are easily transmitted in the body if not washed off properly. Over million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms and they typically have the highest burden of worm infection of any age group, with the majority of those infected being in low and middle income countries. These infections severly impact child learning, development and health and frequently cause malnutrition and anaemia. An integrated handwashing and NTD programme in EthiopiaIn Ethiopia's Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples' Region a programme is currently being implemented which integrates both WASH, NTD prevention alongside school feeding using locally sourced food. To date, this programme entitled the, quotEnhanced School Health Initiative (ESHI) quot has seen handwashing stations and latrines built in 5 schools, accompanied by hygiene promoting materials, which reach a total of 8, children to discourage their reinfection of STH. The ESHI programme has been made possible with the support of philanthropic organisation Dubai Cares​ to Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative, World Food Programme and Dutch development organisation, SNV who have been working with the government to implement the programme. Download the programme's flyer Website Links Water, Sanitation and Hygiene NTDs Document Downloads ​ESHI WASH baseline survey sheet Links to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene​ Strengthening Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools Raising Clean Hands. Advanced Learning and Health through WASH in Schools​ The School Health and Nutrition Health Education Manual​​​

​​​​For teachers to be an investment for the future of countries they need the skills, knowledge and support that will enable them to meet the diverse learning needs of every girl and boy. Every year, World Teachers Day on October 5 looks at how we can promote teachers, to promote learning and advance progress towards the MDGs. This year why not read about one innovation which helps teachers living with HIV​ in Africa by breaking down stigma on the virus, so they are better able to advance learning in low and middle income countries. ​​ ​Click to read more. ​

​​​​​​​​​A new Topic Guide on Inclusive Learning in low and middle-income countries What works when we try to include children with disabilities and learning difficulties in regular schools in low and middle-income countries? What doesn’t work?​These are the questions that a new Topic Guide on Inclusive Learning addresses. It is designed to support policy-makers, educational planners, practitioners and advocates in the drive to ensure all children are included and engaged in schools worldwide. The guide was produced by the Health amp Education Advice amp Resource Team (HEART) funded by the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). Free schooling is not always the answer Since 2, strategies to achieve mass access to education have made schooling a reality for boys and girls from urban centers, high-income households and for those fortunate enough to live in countries where equitable and meaningful access to quality education has been created. International commitments, government policies, civil society engagement and economic growth have helped to make progress happen, and yet fee-free schooling has not been a cure to achieve universal enrolment. Disability continues to be one of the most neglected causes of educational disadvantage, even though girls and boys with disabilities are disproportionately represented among those excluded from schooling. Four out of every five children with disabilities live in developing countries. The highest levels of moderate and severe disabilities are found in sub-Saharan Africa. In Malawi and Tanzania, for instance, disability doubles the probability of never attending school. In Burkina Faso, it increases the risk of children being out of school by two and a half times. Disability also makes it less likely for girls and boys to complete their schooling. Inclusive schooling supports economic growth The economic growth that is essential to a renewed, sustainable development agenda will fail without inclusion and a commitment to tackle head on the barriers that perpetuate poverty and vulnerability. If we want everyone to benefit from growth, we need policies that directly target the discrimination and extreme deprivation experienced by marginalized groups, including children with disabilities. Access to good quality basic education reduces poverty and improves health and livelihoods. It also enables people to fulfil their potential and contribute to open, inclusive and economically vibrant societies. The costs of exclusion are high In Bangladesh for example, foregone income due to a lack of schooling and employment for people with disabilities and their caregivers is estimated at US$.2 billion annually, or .74% of the gross domestic product (GDP). More generally, a recent study showed that the economic cost of out-of-school girls and boys is greater than the value of an entire year of GDP growth in nine countries 58 Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Lesotho, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Yemen. Even for large middle-income countries with low out-of-school populations, such as Brazil and Indonesia, the cost of out-of-school children outweighs the additional public spending required to enroll them making it an equitable and cost-effective investment. Lack of data is a problem Lack of detailed national data and cross-country benchmarks has limited the ability of governments, donors and others to assess, monitor and address the situation of children with disabilities. Although the picture is changing with new survey tools, guidelines, toolkits and capacity building programs planned for 25 by the Washington Group and UNICEF, the political will and commitment to drive improvements in data collection and management has been insufficient. This has hindered action at national and international levels. ​​​​​ Systemic challenges, such as divided ministerial responsibility across education, health and social protection have also been a barrier to education for children with disabilities. Often, the focus of support is shifted to social welfare and ‘special’ treatment, rather than inclusion and equity. Disability – an intractable problem? The absence or inadequacy of legislation, strategies and targets prevents the inclusion of girls and boys with disabilities in education. This is on top of school-level barriers such as physical access, inappropriate curricula and pedagogy, inadequate teacher training and labelling and discriminatory attitudes that reinforce the marginalization. The complexities in addressing the specific needs of children with disabilities or difficulties in learning may not arise when designing interventions for other marginalized groups, such as those living in slums or remote rural areas. This has challenged policymakers and made disability seem like an intractable “problem” for the sector. Extending education opportunities to all children, including those with disabilities, requires more than building new schools and improving learning outcomes. We need policies and other system-wide interventions that directly target boys and girls with disabilities and the underlying causes of disadvantage, along with political support and effective leadership. One size does not fit all as countries face their own specific constraints, challenges and opportunities. Action to ensure the inclusion of learners with disabilities works best when it is tailored to local and individual circumstances. New Topic Guide on Inclusive Learning The new Topic Guide on Inclusive Learning builds on the renewed global focus on learning, and responds to growing concerns about the estimated 25 million children who don’t learn despite attending four years of school. The guide highlights the importance global strategies that prioritize the diverse learning needs of the most marginalized children. We discuss key concepts associated with inclusion and inclusive learning, t​erminology related to disability, and the difficulties in collecting appropriate data. We also address some of the dilemmas of providing specialist support for girls and boys with disabilities, while at the same time promoting generic inclusion. The body of evidence on inclusive learning in low- and middle-income countries, though weak and fragmented, is presented, with a particular focus on classroom practice, teacher education, school leadership and community engagement. Finally, we explore the relationship between inclusive learning and development more broadly and suggest an agenda for future research directions. Written by Juliette Myers, an independent consultant and co-author of the Topic Guide on Inclusive Learning. ​Click to read the original article from Global Partnership for Education​. ​

​​​​An innovative free School Meals Planner tool has been launched at a special plenary session of a leading global school feeding conference. The online and offline tool will for the first time enable users to plan and create nutritionally balanced and fully costed school meals using locally available food. ​ Creating a nutritionally balanced school menu using local ingredients is not an easy thing to do, especially when you are working within a tight budget. This is doubly true when the children relying on your school meals are from communities where food insecurity is high and malnutrition and anaemia are common conditions. The School Meals Planner is the first tool of its kind to show the macro and micronutrient contents of cooked meals made from locally procured ingredients. Developed by Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development​, the School Meals Planner was unveiled on 3th September at a special plenary meeting of the Global Child Nutrition Forum 24 held in Vanderbijlpark near Johannesburg, South Africa. As the largest annual meeting on school feeding the menu planner was given a warm welcome by the Forum’s 25 participants including 2 state Ministers, drawn from 4 countries. The tool employs gingerbread men to show visually if a meal is meeting the recommended daily intake of nutrients as identified by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation. By linking local market prices for raw ingredients, the planner shows the user the actual cost of each meal. With this information, programme managers are able to create accurate and realistic school meal budgets. Speaking at the launch, the Partnership for Child Development’s Executive Director, Dr Lesley Drake said, ‘School meals play a vital role in ensuring children have a healthy nutritionally balanced diet. This free tool means that you don’t need to be a nutritionist to create balanced healthy meals, anyone can do it.’ As well as acting as a menu design tool, the school meals planner acts as both an information access port for smallholder farmers so they know what foods to supply to the schools but also as a nutrition educational resource for schools to learn about healthy eating. The School Meals Planner was trialled with the support of the Ghana School Feeding Programme who have been using it to create nutritionally balanced school meals for some of the . million Ghanaian schoolchildren who are fed by the programme every school day. Susan Torson, Nutrition Officer for the Ghana School Feeding Programme, said ‘The School Meals Planner means the Government are better able to reach their targets on child nutrition.’ To ensure schoolchildren have nutritionally balanced diets the School Meals Planner is designed to work in conjunction with community focused nutrition and hygiene education programmes and with ‘handy measures’ – every day measuring utensils which caterers can use to accurately recreate balanced meals. The planner and this work is supported by Dubai Cares. Susanne Torson continued, ‘One of the strengths of the Meals Planner is that it allows us to select local dishes using local ingredients which we know local farmers are producing.' Following the success of the School Meals Planner in Ghana, the tool will be rolled out in other countries to ensure that more children are able to enjoy healthy and nutritious hot school meals. /Ends To plan your own meal visit click here.

​​A new behavioural change communication (BCC) campaign is currently underway in Ghana to encourage schoolchildren to eat nutritious meals and to take on good hygiene habits. As part of the campaign, representatives from 3 NGOs in Ghana were recently trained by Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD) to deliver good nutrition and hygiene messages across 395 communities in Ghana - targeting community events, churches, mosques and other locations. During the training PCD outlined how materials such as t-shirts and posters should be used by campaign volunteers in communities to encourage nutritious eating habits, diet diversification and good health and hygiene of schoolchildren and their families. ​ By taking a Training of Trainers (ToTs) approach the lessons learnt by the NGO representatives are to be taught to community based volunteers who will spread nutrition messages to a vast audience across the 395 communities. The workshops also looked at furthering the campaign through media engagement and how NGOs should report back on campaign outcomes for enhanced learning on what works and what areas are in need of strengthening, so that good nutrition and hygiene messages can be promoted in the best way possible. Next Steps In addition to targeting the community, PCD is also carrying out the BCC campaign at the school level where selected teachers will be trained and equipped with influencing manuals and wall charts. Educational jingles are also to be aired on selected radio stations throughout the project’s districts. ​ The BCC campaign feeds into Ghana's Home Grown School Feeding ​(HGSF) programme which sees that food for school meals is procured from local smallholder farmers - enabling children to be better able to learn in schools and farmers to be secured of a livelihood. ​Click here​ to read more about Ghana's HGSF programme.

​​Barely a fortnight after an 8-year-old disable​d child was caned mercilessly by his teacher, a study by India's Human Development College of Home Science, Nirmala Niketan, conducted in 23 throws some light on the challenges faced by teachers regarding inclusive education.The study was a minor research project submitted by Priya Aranjo, a student pursuing her M.Sc degree in Counselling and Family Therapy from IGNOU. Aranjo was guided by Dr Kamini Rege, assistant professor, College Of Home Science, Nirmala Niketan.Having to juggle multiple roles simultaneously – including creating different strategies to accommodate both, children with disabilities and regular students – many researchers state that a teacher is one of the key persons in the implementation of inclusive education. It is because of this that the study attempts to elicit from the preschool and primary school teachers the challenges faced and strategies to overcome. Teachers of these levels were chosen because it is at this stage that children learn to accommodate and adapt to change.In the survey, 5% participants said that it was more of a balancing act of catering to both types of students, the huge class size, time constraints, lack of training due to which they find it difficult to understand the child with disability and lastly, dealing with the apprehension of the parents of fully-abled students. On the other hand, 4% participants said that they find it difficult to give the required attention to a child with disability without neglecting the remaining students and isolating disbaled students.Dr. Kamini Rege said 58 quotFew participants (5%) said that students with special needs are often misunderstood and they feel neglected as not enough support and attention is given by the teacher. A less amount of participants (%) said that lack of assistive devices, infrastructure and trained personnel is a challenge for the student with special needs. quotArundhati Chavan, united forum president, parents teachers association, said 58 quotThe teachers who have done their B.Ed course five years ago may be facing problems in dealing with disabled children. Another problem they face is a larger number of students in classroom, because of which they may not be able to give attention to disabled children. The education department needs to come up with some training for teachers on inclusive education. quot ​Click to read the original article from DNA India Click to read more about Inclusive Education​​

​​​​​By Yetunde Ayobami OjoA cross section of civil society groups have charged stakeholders in the education sector to fashion out an inclusive educational system that would address the interest of children with dissabilities.The groups have also decried the lack of support for this class of children in 3 inclusive primary and secondary schools in Lagos State even as they urged the government to conduct a comprehensive institutional and manpower audit of all inclusive schools in order to determine specific and general needs of the schools.These were some of the submissions made in Lagos at a media parley at the behest of the Disability Policy and Advocacy Initiative (DPAI), in collaboration with Lagos State Civil Society Partnership (LACSOP) with the support of State Accountability and Voice Initiative (SAVI), Lagos office.According to chairman and assistant secretary of DPAI, Mr. Uche Ekugum and Mrs. Emmanuella Akinola respectively, a baseline assessment survey of 3 inclusive schools in the state revealed that most of the inclusive primary school units do not practice inclusion because the physically challenged students were taught in separate classrooms. quotA total of 38 schools made up of 3 inclusive primary schools and seven inclusive secondary schools were reviewed in the survey. Findings revealed that 2 inclusive primary and secondary schools, representing 4 per cent have at least one teacher in the entire inclusive unit, while 9 schools have only one teacher for the entire unit. Seven schools have two teachers for the entire unit.According to the survey, quot In virtually all the primary schools, children with disabilities were taught in separate classrooms. However, this is different in the secondary schools where they are taught in the same classrooms with their able-bodied counterparts. quotObservations in all the 38 inclusive primary and secondary schools revealed that children with disabilities attend same morning assembly with their non-disabled counterparts, and no separate playground is built for the children with disabilities.The report further stated that 58 quotAppreciable level of inclusion is practiced in the eight inclusive secondary schools as students attend same classrooms with other able bodied student. quotAll the 38 inclusive primary and secondary school units in Lagos State are grossly lacking in inclusive education teachers and other required personnel including care givers, quot the report added.While commending the Lagos State government for being the only state in the country to have demonstrate very strong commitment towards full implementation of the inclusive education at both primary and secondary schools levels, the groups demanded that a medium and long-term Inclusive Schools Development Plan be drafted in line with the state's schools development plan.They also called on the government to ensure that monitoring system in all relevant agencies are strengthened to ensure full implementation of the Inclusive Schools Development Plan, the Lagos State Inclusive Education Policy and the relevant provisions of the Lagos State Special People's Law 2. quotThe strong commitments of the Lagos State government towards ensuring effective social inclusion for all persons with disabilities are too obvious and cannot be over emphasised. The over years of implementing inclusive education and the landmark passage and implementation of the Lagos State Special People's Law are two strong evidences, which demonstrate the effective institutionalisation of social inclusion as a fundamental principle of state policy in Lagos State, quot the DPAI scribe submitted.She continued that, quotNonetheless, it is expected that these two achievements will elicit citizens response in demanding more opportunities across all sectors. The establishment of the 38 inclusive schools for instance, has in no small measure elicited increase, not only in the creation of access to education, but also in the demand for better and qualitative education services in public schools. quotIt is, therefore expected that government will, in its usual posture, take the lead in responding to the key recommendations of this survey, while partnering with, and encouraging other stakeholders to play their roles. quotOther speakers, including Chairman, Lagos State Advocacy Committee on Special Education Matters, Deaconess Adeola Olanrewaju SAVI Coordinator, Mr. Felix Ubanubi and Mrs. Aderonke Koya, a retired Assistant Director of Education in Lagos State, stressed the need for collaborative efforts to end the stigmatisation challenge confronting children with disabilities. Click to read the original article from All Africa​

​In September, the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) is hosting ISNTD Philanthropy, a one day conference charting the evolution of philanthropy within global health, NTDs and development as well as assessing some of the most dynamic and innovative tools and forces in this field. We hope to drive greater advocacy for the NTDs and diseases of poverty among donor communities and continue to foster new and effective global partnerships.​The conference will centre around the four sessions on 58Trends in philanthropy for NTDs and global healthEmergence of East Asian philanthropy and development financeInnovative amp venture philanthropyImpact of Corporate Social Responsibility Confirmed speakers include 58Dr. Julie Jacobson - Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation - Senior Programme Officer Dr Klaus Brill - Bayer Pharma - Vice President Corporate Commercial Relations Ms. Michèle Joanisse - Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative - Head of Fundraising Dr. BT Slingsby - Global Health Innovative Technology Fund - CEO amp Executive Director Dr. Neeraj Mistry - Director - Global Network for NTDs Ms. Louise Savell - Social Finance London Leading up to the conference, the ISNTD continue to welcome submissions of abstracts for any research, audit, thought leadership or report relating to the role of philanthropy in global health with a preferred focus on neglected tropical diseases. Papers describing work in progress are eligible and selected work will be displayed as a poster during the entire course of the conference.Please do get in touch with Kamran Rafiq – krafiq@isntd.org - if you would like to submit material for the Conference Handbook / Project Portfolio (there is a cost involved), to consult past examples or to obtain an abstract submission form.Register here for the ISNTD Philanthropy conference Sept 29th 24 Foundling Museum London www.isntdphilanthropy.com

​Original Article from The Guardian​. The dirt roads leading to the village of Karulihai in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh make for a bumpy ride. As clouds of dust settle on the windscreen, it’s easy to miss the one-room school that stands in the middle of the field. Voices of children, reciting multiplication tables, float out. Hearing our car, the teacher, Mr Sonpal, peers out. “Are you from the block office,” he asks anxiously. “Have you brought the provisions for the meals?” ​​The school, in a remote, poor area, is entitled to free lunches that are served in every government-run school in India. ​​But no lunch has been served here since November 23. ​​​For most of the children living in this area, whose parents earn less than £3 a week doing manual labour or subsistence farming, the free lunch is often their only meal of the day. Mr Sonpal is the only teacher in this school of 5 students, but lack of staff is the least of his worries. ​​India’s midday meal scheme is the largest school feeding programme of its kind in the world and counts former US president Bill Clinton among its admirers. The scheme was set up in 995 to ensure hunger didn’t prevent children from attending school and nearly 2 million children are fed daily. But the programme is rife with corruption and improperly implemented, which frequently endangers and lets down the vulnerable population it seeks to serve. Last month was the first anniversary of the school meal poisoning incident in Bihar that killed 23 children. But, one year on, the safety of meals is still a concern. This month, the Times of India reported that 5 students of a government primary school had to be hospitalised in Bihar after eating a meal contaminated with a dead lizard. In May, children in Delhi fell sick after eating food containing worms. The situation is worse in remote hamlets, where children are most in need of a nutritious meal. Janmavati Saket, a teacher in Jawa village, in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa state, says 58 “Earlier the children would make a lot of noise. But ever since the lunches stopped they are quieter. A few have even stopped coming [to school].” Saket’s school hasn’t been given funds for the food for the past six months. “I keep going to the collector [the officer in charge of the district] but he shunts me off to the block officer [local official] saying he has to sanction the money,” she says. “It has been months and I have 2 hungry children to feed.” ​In 23-4, nearly Rs 3bn (£29m) was allotted by the Indian government to the scheme. “The education ministry handles the programme and nearly one-third of the education budget is allocated to this,” says Govindraj Ethiraj, the founder of IndiaSpend, a data-driven journalism initiative. “Should the education ministry be handling this or should the health ministry take over since it is about nutrition? People who should be managing schools are running the feeding programme and maybe that’s why there are so many distortions. An administrative separation of duties might help make this more efficient.” Yamini Aiyar, director of the Accountability Initiative, part of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, says 58 “There is no getting away from creating a more efficient administrative structure.” Aiyar’s investigation into the scheme found that too many layers of government were involved in the scheme, resulting in poor information, coordination and monitoring. The state government partners NGOs to improve distribution of meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, one such NGO, works through centralised kitchens in which meals are cooked and sent out to schools. In areas where centralised kitchens can’t be set up, it employs local women’s groups. “We bring stringent quality control that ensures food cooked in hygienic surroundings is delivered safely to schools,” says Bharathi Ghanashyam, a director of Akshaya Patra. However, regulations don’t allow NGOs to serve food in rural areas, and there are inherent challenges in operating centralised kitchens in remote areas, says Binali Suhandani, country director for resource mobilisation at Akshaya Patra. “Given poor roads and transport conditions in these areas, the delivery of fresh food becomes a problem. On the other hand, in decentralised kitchens applying quality checks can be tough. Training those who work in the kitchens is important and it’s here that the biggest lapses happen.” ​Research has shown​ that the scheme has boosted school attendance of girls and improved nutrition among children, especially in poor areas. After the Bihar tragedy, Akshaya Patra trained more than 2 cooks and supervisors in safe cooking techniques. “But this is very marginal when you see the number of kitchens and children that need feeding,” says Suhandani. “There has to be a replicating effect of this training. What we need is an emphasis on responsible handling of food, greater accountability and the creation of a structure that ensures that no school is left behind.” ​Click to read the original article from The Guardian.Read more about Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development response​ after the Bihar Tragedy last year.

​Venue 58 University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon Date 58 st – 4th September 24 The upcoming conference on quotPerspectives of inclusive education in West and Central Africa quot will convene inclusive school health and nutrition professionals to look at topics including 58 The Journey so far Assessment issues in Inclusive EducationInstructional procedures in Inclusive Education Preparing teachers for Inclusive Education Including the excluded 58 A review of strategies Administrative strategies involved in running Inclusive Education Legal issues involved in Inclusive EducationIssues related to inclusion from multidisciplinary perspectiveAnd policy orientation in Inclusive Education 58 problems and perspectives​For further information please click here.​​​

​​​​​​More than six million children in lower primary schools in Kenya have been dewormed since 22, according to Kenya's recently released National School-Based Deworming Programme report. Kenya's Programme Director Dorothy Onyango for NGO, Deworm the World said, quotThe effectiveness of deworming has been proven through rigorous research which has been shown to reduce child absenteeism by up to 25%. quot The five-year programme which began in 22 initially aimed to deworm 5.7 million children. To date, .4 million children have been dewormed by the Kenya Medical Research Institute across , primary schools in 28 counties of the country targeting areas with a particularly high worm prevalence including 58 Nyanza, Western, Rift Valley, Coast, North Eastern and Central. ​ ​ Why Deworm in Schools? When children are infected with parasitic worms they are less likely to concentrate in school and suffer from poor health and nutrition. School-based deworming is a cost-effective and safe solution at a cost of less than 5 cents per child per year the results are both immediate and enduring. Read more about school-based deworming​​​Read more in the original article from All AfricaView photos from the launch of the report​ ​

​​​​​​​Though the Ghana Education Service has a policy to retain its HIV/AIDS positive staff only 2 of such employees across the nation have joined the Network of Teachers and Educational Workers on HIV/AIDS Ghana (NETEWAG).Mr Haruna Ibn Hassan, an Executive Member NETEWAG, said the official disclosure rate was very low and blamed the situation on the discrimination and stigmatization that such persons face.He was speaking at a two-day workshop for NETWAG members at Dodowa in the Shai Osu-Doku District of the Greater Accra Region.The workshop, therefore, brought together stakeholders in the HIV/AIDS advocacy to brainstorm and draw a strategic plan for the development of NETEWAG and to reduce the stigma and discrimination and to empower them to push for the implementation of HIV/AIDS policies in the sector.The Partnership for Child Development (PCD), an organization under the Imperial College of London, is organising the workshop with the Ministry of Education.Mrs Gertrude O. Ananse-Baiden, Ghana Programmes Manager of Partnership for Child Development, said evidence globally shows that HIV/AIDS is a real treat to the educational sector and thus to human resource development.She said teachers’ participation become compromised when they become HIV/AIDS positive due to frequent absenteeism from sicknesses and other related complications, including stigma and discrimination.Mrs Ananse-Baiden said the related absenteeism affect educational outcomes because children do not gain the full benefit from their school years.She commended the Government, the Ministry of Education, and other partners for supporting HIV/AIDS positive teachers and for giving them a platform to promote their interests.Mr Benjamin Afful, Director of Finance and Administration at the Ministry of Education, who represented the Chief Director, said despite the significant strides that had been made globally in the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially in the reduction of new infections, the disease continues to threaten sustainable global human development.He said this had impeded the progress towards the achievement of the global goal of for education for all.Mr Afful said reducing HIV infections and improving the health of those affected was a prerequisite for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals Two and Three, which seek to achieve Universal Primary Education and to promote Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, respectively by 25.​​Original article from Ghana News Agency​HIV/AIDS Links​​​​HIV and EducationAccelerating the Education Sector Response to HIV​

​​​​​94% of 535 surveyed districts in Ethiopia are endemic for either schistosomiasis and/or soil-transmitted helminths (STH) – Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) which are commonly found in school-children. This was one finding presented by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) to Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, NTD experts, universities and partners at a national NTD dissemination workshop held in Addis Ababa on June 9. Working with EPHI, Imperial College London’s The Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative​ (SCI) supported the mapping of schistosomiasis and STH prevalence and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure using data collected in late 23 from 25, school-aged children across 2,7 schools. The mapping exercise also showed that throughout the country only 44% of schools had a water source within the school compound and only 5% of these had water connecting to the school building. Senior Programme Manager at SCI, Mike French commented, “The national mapping surveys, supported by Imperial College London and driven by the Government, enables areas most in need of treatment to be identified, so that cost-effective control programmes can be carried out in these at risk areas.” T​o date, the surveys have been used to inform school-based deworming programmes against STH in Ethiopia’s Oromia and Amhara regions. Integrated schistosomiasis and STH campaigns will also commence in these and other regions later in the year, and eventually campaigns will extend to all areas where children are at risk. Why Deworm School Children? When children are infected with parasitic worms the worms often end up being fed rather than the child, resulting in poor child nutrition, tiredness and sickness. Infected children fail to attend school on a regular basis and those who do attend school are more likely to have a poor concentration and ability to learn whilst there. Worm infections can also cause anaemia and malnutrition which further contribute to reducing children’s energy levels and learning. School-based deworming is universally recognized as a safe, simple and cost-effective solution to treating children with worms. At a cost of less than 5 US cents per child per year the benefits of school-based deworming are both immediate and enduring. Regular treatment can reduce school absenteeism by 25% and can increase adult earnings by over 2% as a consequence of greater workforce participation when these children grow to be adults. Adequate sanitation and access to safe water also has the potential reduce worm transmission in schools therefore when deworming programmes are integrated with WASH interventions, child health, nutrition and education is significantly improved. PCD and SCI Support Government Capacity To build the capacity of EPHI staff, last month PCD, SCI alongside partners the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine facilitated a workshop where EPHI technicians were taught how to clean and analyse the data collected in 23 and to use this to create worm prevalence and risk maps. PCD and SCI have also been working with the EPHI since 22 where they have been supporting the implementation of a government-led and Dubai Cares funded Home Grown School Feeding​ programme in Ethiopia’s Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples’ Region. This comprehensive programme integrates school feeding sourced from local farmers with SHN activities including WASH and deworming. ​ Click to read more​.

​​​​​Save the Date 58 24 Global Child Nutrition Forum September 29-October 3, 24 Johannesburg, South Africa The Global Child Nutrition Foundation in partnership with the World Food Programme's Centre of Excellence are to host the th annual international conference of school feeding professionals and partners, focused on Nutrition and School Feeding. Who’s invited? Representatives of government offices, companies, international organizations, NGOs, academic institutions, and others interested in school feeding and child nutrition programmes. Participation of government representatives from the sectors which gain the most benefit from investing in nutritious, locally-sourced school meal programmes 58 Education, Agriculture, Finance, Health, Industry and Trade, and Budget and Planning is particularly encouraged. Why attend? The Forum is an opportunity to share your experience, successes, and challenges in school feeding and to learn what others are doing, as well as to interact with experts from around the world, see school feeding in action in South Africa, exhibit your programmes and products in the Country School Food Fair and Market Place, and more! 24 Theme 58 “Nutrition and School Feeding 58 Improving Nutrition by Strengthening School Feeding Programmes”, with a focus on the multi-sector benefits of sustainable school feeding programmes and the UN Post-25 Agenda. Registration will be conducted through a website that will go live by July 3, 24 For more information 58 Please refer to the GCNF website 58 www.gcnf.org To discuss sponsorship opportunities, media involvement, and for particularly urgent or special inquiries, please contact 58· GCNF (william.t.mcmahan@gmail.com), or· WFP Centre of Excellence (brazil.centreofexcellence@wfp.org​)

​T​he recent global economic crisis coupled with issues surrounding obesity and health inequalities has given rise to a global interest in school feeding programmes, shown to improve the nutritional status, health and well-being, learning and educational achievement of children and adolescents. Despite the global recognition and implementation of the programmes, they often do not all deliver messages about healthy eating that fit with children's, adolescents and family practices outside of the school environment. To combat challenges faced in ensuring these programmes are sustainable, assessing their benefits and drawbacks is vital. In order to fully understand the impacts of different school feeding models, academic journal, Frontiers have recently opened an online discussion forum where varied theories and knowledge from academics and practitioners can be shared and coordinated. The forum's research topic, quotThe impact of school food consumption on children's cognition, educational attainment and social development​​ quot invites original, review and opinion papers from across a diverse range of disciplines which supports evidence based decisions to allow policy and programme implementers to deliver school feeding programmes which are effective and sustainable.​ Click to visit the forum

​By Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, Special to CNN​ What factor has the power to transform individual lives, communities, nations and the world? The answer to this complex question is a simple one 58 education. While it is widely accepted that there is no one solution to lift the millions across our globe out of poverty, it is also equally accepted that a key cornerstone of addressing some of the world's most pressing challenges is through providing a quality education to all children, especially girls. Despite increasing numbers attending school in recent years, 2 million children remain out of primary school and the highest rate of girls not in school is across the African continent, where in sub-Saharan Africa nearly four out of five poor rural girls are not completing primary school. It is unacceptable that in 24 -- less than a year away from the deadline the international community agreed to get all children into school -- that 3 million girls in Africa are denied their basic human right to a quality education. Ensuring that every child goes to school, stays in school and learns something of value while there will require firm commitments and action by governments to invest in education and prioritize the education of its girls. According to recent research, the estimated economic gain from achieving universal primary education exceeds the estimated increase in public spending required to achieve it. One extra year of schooling can increase an individual's earnings by %. Girls who complete a primary education are likely to increase their earnings by 5 to 5% over their lifetimes. The power of education Each additional year of schooling could raise average annual gross domestic product growth by .37%. If all women had a primary education, child marriages and child mortality could fall by a sixth, and maternal deaths by two-thirds. Investing in girls' education could boost sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural output by up to 25%. Some countries lose more than $ billion a year by failing to educate girls to the same level as boys. Without education, how can a country's future citizens take part in growing their economy and reap benefits? Without education how can a country grow? Beyond increasing numbers It is however, not good enough to only increase the number of children receiving education. Children and young people must learn basic knowledge, skills and competencies, such as reading, writing, critical thinking, problem solving and math, that are needed to live healthy, safe and productive lives. Information on teachers, how to best support them to do their jobs, and information on how students are learning are crucial for knowing what policies and programs will be effective. By using our resources more effectively and focusing them on those children that are currently left behind, we can have some of the best educated citizens in the world -- citizens who will be responsible for building a peaceful and prosperous future. By not investing in girls' education, we are telling our women that we do not care Improving information available Better information on learning outcomes and public spending is key to achieving our goals. These young people want a brighter reality and they demand that their governments stand up to meet their responsibilities and commitments, in order to build a future for their children, a future for their country. When nearly developing countries come together in Brussels at the end of June, as part of the Global Partnership for Education, they will be asked to commit to increase education spending. If they do, we will know if they have listened to these young people, and then the phrase, quotAfrica Rising, quot can be used in all truthfulness.​ ​Original article from CNN.

​​ First established in 99 as a commemoration to the thousands of black children shot down in protest to receiving inferior education in South Africa, June is Day of the African Child. The day focuses on raising awareness for the situation of children in African, and on the need for continuing improvement in education. ​ You could use the day to learn more about the value of education on child health and the value of child health on education​ in Africa. ​​​​​Click to read more​.

​​​​Kenya has been rated the leading African country in the fight against the Neglected Tropical Diseases​ (NTD) after successfully implementing its National School-Based Deworming Programme (NSBDP). Through the ‘Every Child Everywhere, Free from Wo​​rms Forever’ campaign, funded by Children’s Investment Fund Foundation​ (CIFF), the country’s health sector is expected to act as a role model to the rest of the continent. In the Sh4.3 billion CIFF’s funding in Africa, Kenya has received Sh.2 billion to implement NSBDP till 2. During Soil Transmitted Helminth Community Day​ held at the Institut Pasteur Paris France on April 3, the country was invited to showcase the progress in the fight against worms with other African countries showing interest in learning from Kenya. According to reports by World Health Organization, over 8 million children live where worms are intensively transmitted.​​Read the original article from Kenya's ​Standard Media​​Read another related article, Kenya wins accolades for successful deworming​Read more about the Institute Pasteur Paris event​ where large scale commitments were made to combat common NTDs by 22. Read more about NTDs and school-based deworming​

​​​Consultant Position - Independent Final Evaluation of the Partnership for Child Development Education For All Programme The Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD) ​are accepting applications for a consultancy position to carry out an independent evaluation on one of its core programme grants focused on Education for All​ (EFA). The evaluation should assess the quality of the main outputs and outcomes of PCD's EFA programme delivered through the World Bank's Development Grant Facility (DGF), taking into account the relevant trends and conditions for achieving the EFA goals and should answer question on the programme’s performance with respect to its agreed objectives.About the Partnership for Child Development Established in 992, PCD is a global consortium of civil society organisations, academic institutions and technical experts with a coordinating centre based at Imperial College London. PCD is committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low income countries to develop policies, implement plans and establish support networks for school health and nutrition​, HIV/AIDS​ and OVC programmes. About the Development Grant FacilityPCD has been receiving the DGF grant since 22 and has conducted the programme in 2 countries globally under these objectives. PCD is exiting the DGF programme in June 24 and a final evaluation that covers the entire grant period is required. ​Consultant Activities The consultant’s activities should include, but are not limited to 58Analysis based on desk studies, desk study of all pertinent documents including the reports of PCD supported networks, their websites, conference programmes/proceedings and documents that were published in the context of the programme Interviews of PCD Board members, key partners, programme beneficiaries including country representatives, participants of seminars, courses and workshops from all participating countries, focal point representatives of at least three countries and other sources of relevant information Undertaking of at least one field visit to conduct these interviews with the programme beneficiaries and the other partners Conducting online surveys where relevant The consultant shall present the basic methodology he/she intends to use in their proposals. The quality of the methodology will be object of a significant part of the selection criteria. Qualifications and Selection CriteriaThe evaluation consultant should demonstrate the following criteria 58​Advanced university degrees in the education, health, public policy or related field In-depth understanding and extensive knowledge of issues pertaining to quality assurance in education, in particular in developing countries A strong record of international work in support of education and /or development with at least years of professional experience in programme or project evaluation of relevance to policy making Extensive knowledge of and more than years’experience in applying qualitative and quantitative evaluation methodsExcellent data analysis skillsOral and writing skills in English to the highest standardsIn country experience with the education sector in developing countries is highly desirable Further Details For full details please download the Terms of ReferenceAll applications and enquiries should be directed to Abigail Deamer 58 a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk

​​​Every year, malaria kills an estimated 27, people and in Africa, a child dies every minute from the disease. World Malaria Day, held on 25 April, offers the opportunity for efforts to be ​showcased on how to further scale up interventions. The Malaria Control in Schools toolkit gives practical information and technical ​and policy advice to enable education professionals to develop effective programmes on malaria prevention and control for school-age children within malaria endemic countries. ​​Download the toolkit​​ Read more on malaria​​

​A new forum to highlight opportunities for scientifically grounded investments in young children is to be hosted by the Institute of Medicine in Washington DC on April 7 - 8, 24. 'Investing in Young Children Globally (iYGP) 58 The Cost of Inaction' will be co-chaired by DCP3 author Zulfiqar Bhutta and will provide an interactive public workshop to discuss investments in terms of allocations of economic, natural, social, and other resources that sustain or promote human development and well-being.​ Speakers will include child development experts Donald Bundy (World Bank) ​,Lia Fernald (University of California, Berkeley), Mickey Chopra (UNICEF) and Maysoun Chehab (UNESCO). They will explore the question of whether the science conver​ges on a set of universal elements that support optimal development from preconception to age 8. ​​This event is open to the public. Click here to register for the meeting or join via webcast. Further information is available through the IOM’s website​. Follow the forum on Twitter using iYCG. Click here for a draft agenda. ​​

​​Two years after the landmark London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases which set out the ambition to control and eliminate NTDs by 22, global leaders gathered in Paris yesterday to announce increasing momentum to fight the diseases that put one in six people worldwide at risk of being sickened, disabled or disfigured. ​ NTDs disproportionately affect the world's poorest and most vulnerable populations. Since the London Declaration which put the collective weight of 3 leading pharmaceutical companies, global health organizations, private foundations, and donor and endemic country governments behind a new push to reduce the global burden of NTDs—the partnership has made strong progress in ramping up efforts to reach the World Health Organization (WHO)'s goals to control or eliminate a number of these diseases by the end of the decade.The gathering coincided with the release of a new report highlighting gains over the past two years, including pharmaceutical companies meeting percent of requests for drugs, and endemic countries taking ownership of NTD programmes. quotThe tremendous progress we have seen over the past two years is proof of the power of partnerships and the generosity of companies that made commitments under the London Declaration, quot said Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the WHO, who spoke at the event. quotTogether with the governments of endemic countries, we are fast approaching the goal of controlling or eliminating many of these ancient causes of human misery. This is a pro-poor initiative that is improving the lives of more than a billion people. quot Funding Announced for School-Based DewormingThe day's big announcement saw the commitment of a $2 million fund to combat soil-transmitted helminths. These intestinal worms are among the most common infections found among children living in poverty and they severely impact on child health, nutrition and learning abilities. Jamie Cooper-Hohn, Chair of Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) announced that, quotCIFF is now committing an additional US$5 million over the next five years to implement large-scale systematic approaches to deworming in a number of countries, with the hope that, ultimately, we can break the transmission of worms and achieve the vision of 58 every child, everywhere, free from worms forever. quotOther organisations also announced their commitment to rid children of worms including 58 The World Bank - committing US$2 million toward the goal of NTD control and elimination in low-income countries in Africa, including funding for school-based deworming efforts.​ The Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation - investing US$5 million to explore the feasibility of interrupting transmission and mitigating the risks of drug resistance, as well as the most effective cross-sector approaches.Dubai Cares - designing programmes that will integrate nutrition, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and deworming interventions in schools to increase student enrollment and learning outcomes. The Global Partnership for Education - collaborating with the World Bank to assist education sectors in developing countries to deliver donated deworming drugs to children. The World Food Programme working to ensure deworming is provided to millions of children as part of current school feeding programmes.Useful Links For further details visit ​Uniting to Combat NTDs​Read more about School-Based DewormingDownload the new report ​Combating NTDs Delivering on Promises and Driving Progress​ ​

​​​​​To reduce child morbidity in Nigeria, the Partnership for Child Development​, Imperial College London recently supported the Nigerian Government to map 7,5 children for worm infections across 5 selected schools in Osun State, Nigeria. The exercise was part of a government-led mapping carried out across six states in Nigeria which will be used to construct an effective treatment plan ensuring schoolchildren are dewormed for infections posing a threat to their health, nutrition and development. “This exercise demonstrates the commitment from Nigeria’s Government to eradicating NTDs, which will be enabled by determining the prevalence of parasitic worm infections Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) and Schistosomiasis”, said Nigeria’s National Coordinator for NTDs, Dr Obiageli Nebe. Worm Impact on Children Currently, 4 million children around the world suffer from STHs or schistosomiasis and often fail to attend school on a regular basis, those who do attend school are unable to concentrate and learn due in large part to tired or sickness. Worm infections can cause anaemia ​and malnutrition​ which means that children don't have the energy they would otherwise. School-based deworming is universally recognized as a safe, simple and cost-effective solution. At a cost of less than 5 US cents per child per year - the benefits of school-based deworming​ are both immediate and enduring. Regular treatment can reduce school absenteeism by 25%. Mapping TrainingThe exercise which ran from February 2 - March 8 was carried out across states including Osun, Kebbi, Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Bayelsa and Kogi States by the Nigerian Government with support from the Children Investment Fund Foundation​, SightSavers, PCD and other development organisations. To enhance mapping effectiveness, a training of trainers workshop focused on building capacity of state technical officers and partners was held in Lagos prior to the mapping, here attendees were taught to help capture data from the field using new tools including the use of android smart phones.PCD have supported School Health and Nutrition activities in the state since 2, assisting the government to implement its school feeding programme using local produce​ sourced from local smallholder farmers. ​

​​​​On Saturday 8 March International Women's Day was celebrated around the world, offering the opportunity to assess the global situation on gender equality. At present, statistics show that women continue to be under-invested across a range of areas. In low and middle income countries 7% of the world's poorest individuals are women and girls. Girls are three times more likely to be malnourished than boys and almost two-thirds of the world's illiterate population are women. 72 million girls of primary and secondary school age are not currently in school. Investing in the health education and economic empowerment of women worldwide plays a vital role to meet MDG 3 on gender equality. Girls who attend school are more likely to marry later, have fewer children, and lead economically productive lives. Each year of a mother's schooling reduces the probability of infant mortality by 5- percent. With every percent increase in women's enrollment in secondary school, a country's GDP grows by .3 percent. Investing in women offers the chance to capitalize in healthier, better educated and a more economically stable world.​Read the original article from Noa Gafni in the Huffington Post​. Key Resources ​​Click on the links below to download the following gender themed education and health resources 58 ​​Gender Analysis in Education ​​​Education First 58 An Initiative of the United Nations Secretary GeneralFast Tracking Girls Education 58 A Progress Report By the Education For All Fast Track Initiative​Violence Against Women and HIV Menstrual Hygiene Matters 58 A Resource for Improving Hygiene Around the World​​Does Cash for Schools Influnce Young Women's Behaviour in the Long Term​The Power of Educating Adolescent Girls​ ​​​

Mark Williams MP and the APPG on Global Education for All​ invite you to a major event and reception to discuss how UK and world leaders can tackle the crisis in funding education for all and ensure that every child can fulfil their right to a quality education. Fund the Future 58 Tackling the crisis in financing education for all Wednesday 2 March 24 7.-9. Attlee Suite, Portcullis House In 2, the global community committed that no country seriously dedicated to achieving education for all should be held back due to a lack of resources. Since then, great progress has been made. Yet 57 million children around the world remain out of primary school. 25 million children are in school but failing to learn the basics. Just when funding for education is ​​​most urgently needed, it is instead in crisis. While many developing countries have managed to increase their domestic education budgets, external aid for education is declining at an alarming rate.Later this year, the Global Partnership for Education – the world’s only multilateral partnership devoted to getting all children into school for a quality education – will hold a major replenishment conference. This could be a turning point in the fight for education for all. The conference will convene world leaders from governments, civil society, international organizations, students, teachers, foundations, and the private sector to call for renewed commitments to education financing. As we approach this crucial opportunity, we welcome you all to discuss how the UK can build on its leading role in global education, and work with all partners to achieve education for all. Click here​ to read more about the event.

​The Partnership for Child Development​, Imperial College London, the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education, UK Government, and international partners invite schools, farmers, cooks, health professional and development organisations to join in celebrating the 24 International School Meals Day​ on March , to raise awareness of the importance of food and nutrition on education and to share school food experiences from across the globe. For the second year running, students and schools celebrate International School Meals Day by promoting healthy eating and learning, using this year’s theme of ‘Food Stories’ to communicate different cultures and bring communities together. Sharing Ghana's Home Grown School Feeding Story In the spirit of sharing experiences we'd like to introduce Ghana's Home Grown School Feeding Programme​ (GSFP) - what began as a pilot in just schools in 25 became extremely popular with the Ghanaian public, expanding to now feed over . million children from 3, primary schools with hot nutritious school meals that use food grown by local farmers. The Ghana example, like many other HGSF programmes,​ has ensured win-win benefits for children and farmers alike - with positive impacts felt to both school attendance and farmer incomes. Although these significant gains were made in Ghana, child malnutrition continued to remain a problem, to combat this PCD are undertaking a nutrition project which is integrated into the GSFP and which assists the Government to enhance the nutrition, learning and well-being of Ghanaian school children. Read more about Ghana's HGSF Nutrition ProjectRead more shared stories from across the globe at International School Meals Day

​​​​​The Global Partnership for Education​ (GPE), the only multilateral partnership devoted to getting all children in the world's poorest countries into school for a quality education, has appointed former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard to be the new Chair of its Board of Directors. “I am delighted to take on this new role with the Global Partnership for Education,” Gillard said. “I believe that with 57 million of the world’s children still lacking access to a basic education and 25 million children unable to read, write or master simple math, there can be no higher priority. As Australia’s Prime Minister from 2 to 23 and throughout her career in public office, including as Minister of Education, Gillard distinguished herself as a passionate and effective champion for education. In October 23, she was named Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center for Universal Education by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. In her new role with the Global Partnership for Education, she will advocate to get out-of-school children in some of the world’s poorest countries in school for a quality education. Read more in the article Julia Gillard Appointed New Board Chair at Global Partnership for Education

​​​​​Infectious diseases contribute to % of all school aged child deaths in India, more than half of these are directly due to diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia, and girls are disproportionately affected. This was one finding from the recently released Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD), Imperial College London “Situation Analysis A Summary of School Health in India and in Four States”, which identifies best practice, challenges and opportunities in Indian school health programmes to help catalyse achieving Education for All (EFA) and health development goals. With a growing population of 92 million school-age children in India, advancing progress towards MDGs on education and health therefore stands to benefit almost one-fifth of India’s overall population. “A political and financial commitment to School Health and Nutrition (SHN) programmes in India, particularly at the national level would see huge improvements to child health and education, improving the lives of millions of Indian school-aged children,” said PCD’s Executive Director, Lesley Drake. She continued, “This commitment would ensure minimum standards of school-based health services, safe environments, inclusion and education are provided across all of India’s states.” The Situation Analysis focused on the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu outlines that despite a number of child health and development policies in place to varying extents in the states, the SHN response remains largely health-led and health service, it recommends that with increased involvement of the education sector, full gains in child health and education could be achieved. In recent years, cost-effective and sustainable initiatives such as SHN programmes which support child health and well-being and encourage children to be fit to learn are now widely recognised as a catalyst for achieving EFA and have gained attention as effective means of “levelling the playing field” for all children, with particularly notable benefits for the most vulnerable and poorest children, thereby working to address disparities. Such interventions include school feeding, WASH promotion and HIV/AIDS, malaria and parasitic worm prevention. Alongside other recommendations, the analysis highlights that improving the evidence base and putting evidence into action could be furthered, in addition to multisectoral collaboration, human resource mobilisation and improved teacher and health provider training to use the teaching workforce as low-cost champions for basic child health. Download the Situa​tion Analysis.​​

​Education plays a critical role in the prevention and mitigation of HIV. Effective Monitoring and Evaluation is essential to maintaining and improving the sector's policies and school-based programmes. A selection of internationally recognised indicators have now been developed and are outlined in the new report, Measuring the education sector response to HIV and AIDS​, recently released by UNESCO ​which provides a common approach to enhance effective HIV policies and programmes. ​​ Click here​ to download the report Read more about HIV and Education​

​​​In 23, up to $75billion dollars was invested by the governments of 9 countries into school feeding programmes. It is estimated that for every $ spent feeding school children, $3 are generated for the local economy. On 22 January a special meeting of global leaders in school feeding met in the UK parliament to discuss how governments are increasingly using school feeding programmes as a means to both improve educational outcomes and at the same time improve agricultural economies.​​ Leading experts including the Governor of Osun State, Nigeria and representatives from Imperial College London, the World Bank, the World Food Programme and the African Union were speaking at an All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture amp Food for Development​ meeting on the evolution of Home Grown School Feeding​ (HGSF) programmes. HGSF refers to school feeding programmes which procure their food from local smallholder farmers thereby supporting local rather than foreign markets. The real impact that a successful HGSF programme can have was provided by keynote speaker, H.E Raul Argebesola, Governor of Osun State in Nigeria who said that since the launch of his State’s school meals programme (known as O’Meals) which feeds over 25, children every school day, enrolment has increased by 24%. The O’Meals programme provides employment to over 3, women and purchases food from over local farmers. A Global phenomenonThe experiences of Osun State tallies with that of governments from across the globe, the World Bank’s Professor Donald Bundy noted that analysis from the influential book, Rethinking School Feeding that he co-authored in 29, had identified that during 28's commodity crisis, countries had increasingly turning to school feeding programmes as a form of a social safety net for their poorest communities. In Europe, in response to the recent recession, countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and the UK, had implemented school feeding programmes as means to protect their most vulnerable members of society.This growth in school meal coverage provides an opportunity for local agricultural economies, Professor Bundy said, “School feeding programmes provide a structured demand for agricultural produce and can, when implemented correctly, encourage wider economic development. Even in times of crisis countries, such as Cote D’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali and Sudan, have or are shifting to nationally run programmes which procure their food from local smallholder farmers.”Speaking on behalf of the African Union’s New Partnership for Africa’s Development, Ms Boitshepo Giyose agreed, ‘We’re seeing more and more sub-Saharan Africa countries adopted HGSF but they still need support to achieve this, international partners have a vital role to play in promoting cost-effective and sustainable programmes.”The meeting was co-hosted by the Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD), Imperial College London which is working with governments to build the evidence-base and provide technical assistance for the development of effective and sustainable HGSF feeding programmes. Speaking at the event, PCD’s Executive Director, Dr Lesley Drake said, quotResearch shows that when properly designed, HGSF programmes can act as a win-win for both school children and smallholder farmers alike. quot She continued, “For school feeding programmes to succeed like they have in Osun, governments and development partners alike need to integrate HGSF into their policies, strategies and plans for agriculture and for education. quot​ Further Reading Rethinking School Feeding 58 Social Safety Nets, Child Development and the Education Sector State of School Feeding Worldwide HGSF Working Paper No Linking Smallholder Agriculture to School Food Provision HGSF Working Paper No 5 Home Grown School Feeding and Social Protection More resources can be found within schoolsandhealth.org's school feeding resource bank​. ​​ Press and Media Coverage Daily Independent Nigeria Nigeria Watch Eagle Reporters Nigeria Can Nigeria Tribune Business World Nigeria The National

​Why Education is Central to Development ​ ​ UNESCO's th Education for All Global Monitoring Report provides a timely update on progress countries are making towards the global education goals of 2, placing education at the heart of the development agenda post 25. ​ With 57 million children still failing to learn because they are not at school the report calls on governments and donors to double their efforts to provide learning for all. Click here​ to download the report. ​​​

The role of school feeding ​in supporting agricultural development and educational achievement is to be the central topic of an address by H.E. Ogbeni Raul Argebesola, Govenor of Osun State, Nigeria, leading experts and British parliamentarians at a special event in the UK’s House of Commons on Wednesday 22nd January.​The Governor has been invited by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Agriculture and Food for Development and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) Imperial College London, to speak at a meeting attended by development experts focusing on the evolution and improvement of government-led Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes in low and middle income countries which feed school children using food grown locally by smallholder farmers. These programmes have the potential to bring countries closer to the UN Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty and hunger, and ensuring universal primary education by 25. Appropriately designed school feeding programmes have been shown to increase access to education and learning, and improve children’s health and nutrition, especially when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition programmes. At the same time, programmes which source their produce locally provide a regular and reliable income for smallholder farmers.Osun State is itself is at the vanguard of the HGSF movement with its O’Meals school feeding programme feeding over 24, children from over 328 government run schools. The O’Meals programme has proved to be a ‘win-win’ for children and farmers alike with primary school enrolment increasing by 24% since the inception of providing free school meals, whilst at the same time securing farmer livelihoods and access to markets. The O’Meals programme also encompasses wider school health and nutrition initiatives including hygiene promotion and deworming children for common worm infections which have negative impacts on their development and learning abilities.Speaking about the success of the school feeding programme Governor Aregbesola said, quotThat well fed and healthy pupils are learning under an encouraging environment in order to secure a great future for themselves and the country, stands as one of the greatest achievements of our administration.” Lord Cameron of Dillington who will be chairing the event said, “'I invite all those working for equitable agricultural development as well as for universal quality education to learn about a successful programme in Nigeria that is helping to ensure progress on both fronts.” The meeting will also see speeches by 58 Lead Health and Education Specialist at The World Bank, Professor Donald Bundy Chief of School Feeding and Chronic Hunger at the World Food Programme Food, Mr. Peter Rodrigues Senior Food amp Nutrition Security Advisor at The New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), Ms. Boitshepo Bibi Giyose and Senior HGSF Technical Advisor at PCD, Imperial College London Professor Josephine Kiamba.PCD, which launched its six year HGSF initiative in 29, supports government action to deliver high quality, cost effective school feeding programmes sourced from local farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The APPG on Agriculture and Food for Development regularly holds meetings in the UK Parliament to explore and stimulate discussions on contemporary issues. Next week’s dialogue offers the opportunity for parliamentarians, civil servants, academics and other representatives of civil society to hear and discuss ways in which HGSF is working to reduce poverty, improve education and ensure food security within and across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. gt gtEnds For further media information please contact Francis Peel at the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London on 2 7594 3292 or email f.peel@imperial.ac.uk Notes to EditorsThe Parliamentary meeting ‘The Evolution of Home Grown School Feeding’ will take place on Wednesday 22nd January 24 from 2 – 3.3pm in Committee Room of the House of Commons.​

​​​Applications are invited for the post of Research Fellow in Home Grown School Feeding​ (HGSF) to join the Partnership for Child Development​ (PCD), an organisation committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low-income countries. Job Details The Research Fellow will provide an efficient professional service, coordinating and overseeing research in the areas of planning and implementation of HGSF programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. Applicants will have postgraduate and postdoctoral qualifications or equivalent relevant work experience in nutrition, education, agriculture or a development related field. This is an excellent opportunity for a well-motivated person looking to work in one of the UK's leading universities for a busy and successful group. The successful candidate will have a record of high-quality publications in international peer-reviewed journals and will also be able to demonstrate an ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams in achieving ambitious and challenging visions and targets in operations research. For full details please download the Job Description and Personal Specification​. This is a full time post for a fixed term until 3th September 25​ Salary range 58 £38,33 - £5,9 per annum Application deadline 58 2 February 24 PCD, Imperial College London The PCD Team is based within the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, which in turn is part of the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. The department is based within a five star research institute equipped with the latest technologies and facilities. How to Apply The preferred method of application is online via Imperial's website​​ - please follow the instructions outlined to apply. For informal enquiries please contact Abigail Deamer 58 a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk.

​The Government of Turkey and the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/CIS) are co-organizing a Ministerial Conference on the theme of ‘including all children in quality learning’. The Conference will be held in Turkey in mid-December 23. The high-level event will launch a Call for Action to advance equity in education participation and learning and to contribute to on-going regional discussions on the Post-25 Development Agenda. The Call for Action will mark the beginning of a regional initiative that will bring a critical mass of countries together to work collaboratively toward including all out of school children in quality learning. Click here​ to read more

​​​Partnership for Child Development​ recently supported the visit of leading Ethiopian parasitologists to Kenya where they learnt how Kenya's national Neglected Tropical Disease​​ (NTD) mapping techniques can be applied in Ethiopia to further​​the prevention of common worm infections found in schoolchildren. quotThe visit supports knowledge and understanding of different techniques used in a large scale NTD mapping exercise and will strengthen future collaboration between the two neighbouring countries,” said Ethiopian Nutrition and Health Research Institute (ENHRI) parasitologist Gemechu Tadesse Leta. He continued, “We will be able to take the best lessons learnt from Kenya and apply these to Ethiopia’s national mapping programme, so analysis on worm infections throughout Ethiopia can be undertaken in the most effective way possible.” During the mission, Dr Jimmy Kihara, parasitologist from Kenya’s Ministry of Health accompanied the ENHRI team to two schools involved in Kenya's mapping exer​cise. Here, they met with school heads and teachers who are trained to carry out child deworming and who explained the techniques and operating procedures they use. The team also met with field officers who demonstrated the collection of pupil samples, these samples were then processed at a national laboratory where their analysis was presented by lab technicians. Among its objectives, Kenya’s national mapping exercise, funded by the World Health Organization, increases knowledge on schistosomiasis and soil transmitted helminth prevalence in areas where little is known about these worm infections which are commonly found in children and severly impact their health and learning abilities. School based deworming plans will then be drawn up by Kenya’s ministries of health and education, allowing healthy school children to be better able to concentrate and learn in school. The exercise will also be used as a baseline survey to monitor the decline of worm infection. ​ The field visit was an example of how capacity building can be strengthened across countries through shared firsthand learning. Both Kenyan and Ethiopian worm experts will continue engagement to further ensure capacity building for worm infection control in the neighbouring countries.​Read more about NTDs and school-based deworming​​

Globally, an estimated 93 million children – or in 2 of those aged up to 4 years of age – live with a moderate or severe disability. In most low- and middle-income countries, children with disabilities are more likely to be out of school than any other group of children. ​When a disabled child does get the opportunity to receive a quality education, doors are opened. This enables them to secure other rights throughout their lifetime, fostering better access to jobs, health and other services. For education to play this role as ‘an enabling right’, it must be of high quality, available equitably, built to tackle discrimination and allow each child to flourish according to their own talents and interests.For International Day of Persons with Disabilities 23, the Global Campaign for Education launched the new report, quotEqual Right, Equal Opportunity 58 Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities​ quot which highlights the state of education for disabled children, and how inclusive education delivers the right to quality education for all.Within the report, recommendations are outlined for national governments, bilateral donors and the international community. Among its strategies to promote inclusive education the report emphasises ​​the need for 58 creating national plans for inclusion, making schools and classrooms accessible and relevant for all and improving data on disability and education to make children with disabilities more visible to policy makers.Download the report Equal Right, Equal Opportunity 58 Inclusive Education for Children with DisabilitiesRead more about Inclusive Education​ ​​

​​​​​Released for World AIDS Day 23 the UNICEF led report, quotTowards an AIDS Free Generation - the th stocktaking report on children and AIDS​ quot provides updated data reviewing the HIV burden of children and adolescents in low and middle income countries. Among its recommendations for strategies to accelerate access to HIV prevention, treatment and care the report commends school based initiatives as a cost effective way to influence vulnerability and provide a key social vaccine. quotResearch suggests that HIV education programmes delivered through schools have the potential to influence determinants of behaviour, children and young peoples’ social networks and, over time, their socio-economic status​ quot. p37, Towards an AIDS Free Generation. Since 22, the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education's Accelerate Initiative led by the World Bank and technical partners such as Partnership for Child Development​ have together supported national government efforts in 37 sub-Saharan African countries to accelerate the education sector response to HIV amp AIDS. In 2 the Accelerate Initiative​ reached an important benchmark all of these countries had national school health policies and 7% of them were working from education specific HIV strategies and plans. ​Quoted within the report, UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibe says 58 quotThis report reminds us that an AIDS-free generation is one in which all children are born free of HIV and remain so––from birth and throughout their lives––and it means access to treatment for all children living with HIV quot. ​ Useful Links ​Download the ​report Towards an AIDS Free Generation - the th stocktaking report on children and AIDSVisit www.childrenandaids.org the interactive partner website of UNICEF, UNAIDS and others where a range of additional materials accompanying the report can be found​ Read more about HIV and Education​​Read more about the Accelerate Initiative​​ ​

Using Global Handwashing Day 23 as a drive to change hygiene behaviour in school children, the State Government of Osun, Nigeria UNILEVER and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) announced their commitment to improving the health and well-being of Nigerian children indicated by a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU, which was announced at Global Handwashing Day celebrations in Osun State, aims to see the implementation of integrated school health education and behavioural change activities including hygiene, oral care, nutrition and sustainable energy consumption. Governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola, noted that quotthe State in collaboration with UNILEVER and PCD is committed to leaving no stone unturned to create a model state for hygiene quot. He continued, “We use this opportunity to create awareness in the general populace to imbibe the culture of handwashing, to sensitize policy makers, to give proper attention to schools to provide handwashing materials.” Other key officials representing Osun State ministries and departments attended the celebrations where awareness was raised on the impact of handwashing with soap for child survival and prevention of life threatening diseases to over 5 children from 37 Osun State secondary schools. Officials also took part in speeches, demonstrations and the appointment of school pupil health promoters. Dr. Victor Ajieroh, Nutrition and Health Manager for UNILEVER also highlighted that the company was happy to be part of the day, he said quotIt is scientifically settled that handwashing with soap can cut diarrheal diseases. quot And that through the MoU, “the promotion of knowledge, behaviour and practices on soap use for handwashing and improved hygiene will be ensured. quotRelated press coverage of the MoU SigningLifebuoy signs MoU with Osun StateUNILEVER signs MoU with Osun on Children's HealthUNILEVER signs MoU with with Osun StateLifebuoy signs MoU with Osun State

​There are 2, hearing impaired people in Uruguay, a country which has a population of just 3 million people. About 3, of these people have severe hearing limitations or total deafness, and 2% of them are children and young people. Lack of appropriated materials in their own language, social taboos, numerous barriers to information and communication put young people with hearing impairments at a higher risk of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. To increase the availability of resources to this group, a new set of sexual and reproductive health and HIV education resources has been prepared by the deaf community and the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (iiDi) in collaboration with the Partnership for Child Development, UNICEF and UNFPA. “We [deaf teens] are all in the same situation in which a lack of information leads to unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.” said Maria Emilia, who helped construct the resources. “People think that the disabled do not have a sex life. Why wouldn't we? It's not our fault if we make mistakes if there's no sex education or sexual health information,” she added. The materials recently received a special mention for human development after being nominated for a National Innovation Award and a few of those available online can be accessed below. The resources produced include posters, postcards and QR Code-messages -a modern digital media content which has been increasingly used in inclusive projects aimed at deaf people. Materials produced by iiDi 58 Cómo se transmite el VIH (Lengua de Señas Uruguaya) / How HIV is spread (Uruguayan Sign Language)​ El sida no discrimina (Lenguas de Señas Uruguaya​) / AIDS does not discriminate (Uruguayan Sign Language) ​ To watch these videos with English translation, please select English via quotCaptions quot bottom right.​More materials can be accessed via iiDi's Facebook Page. Further Information To learn more about this project contact MCH Sergio Meresman (Project Coordinator) 58 iidiuruguay@gmail.com To find out more about iiDi click here. The iiDi has recently expanded its work with deaf adolescents to train them as health promoters to raise further awareness among the deaf community and to advance future peer education initiatives in Uruguayan Sign Language. Watch iiDi's video inviting deaf adolescents to join them in becoming health promoters.

​ Organised by the Partnership for Child Development, Institute of Health and Development and the University of Dakar the first Francophone School Health and Nutrition (SHN) was opened in Senegal on Monday. The course will host government representatives from 3 African Francophone countries, who for days will focus on supporting effective SHN intervention delivery. Opening the ceremony, Professor Anta Tal Dia, Director of the Institute of Health and Development, addressed participants, “The consensus is unanimous, it is essential to ensure good school health and nutrition if we want to see high educational achievement.” Bringing the Course to Francophone Africa For ten days the course will see the exchange of best practices, knowledge and experience in SHN practice between countries and across sectors of participants representing the Economic Community of West African States in addition to Madagascar and Comoros, the United Nations and civil society. The course has previously been held nine times in Anglophone countries and this year it takes place for the first time in a French speaking country in response to the demands of Francophone countries in the region. Course Structure Participants will take part in practical planning workshops, hear lectures from experts in their field and visit local schools where the Senegalese context will be emphasised. Topics covered on the course are to include 58 Malaria, Safe School Environment, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Girls Education, Teacher Training for HIV Prevention and Life Skills Based Education, Neglected Tropical Diseases and School Feeding. Professor Malick Sembene, Director of School Health and Nutrition, Ministry of Health, Senegal also spoke at the ceremony adding that international collaboration for school health initiatives are nothing new in the late 98s researchers around the world initiated studies to assess health intervention effectiveness particularly in the field of nutritional deficiencies and treatment of intestinal worms. Professor Sembene stressed that although important progress has been made in SHN delivery, there is still much to improve, saying, “taking charge of school health requires all layers of society and the school remains one of the privileged places where the fight must begin to create responsible citizen of tomorrow”. ​Useful Links Read more about the course Premier Cours SNS de Courte Durée en Français – les demandes sont maintenant ouvertes Press Coverage of the CourseAgence de Presse Sénégalaise Ouverture du premier cours francophone sur la santé et nutrition scolairesLe Quotidien Premier cours en santé et nutrition scolaires, organisé en Afrique francophone 58Un espace d’échanges de connaissances et des bonnes pratiques

​Friday October was declared for its second year running, International Day of the Girl Child which this year focused on “Innovating for Girls’ Education”. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratization. Many girls remain marginalized from education While there has been significant progress in improving girls’ access to education over the last two decades, many girls, particularly the most marginalized, continue to be deprived of this basic right. Even when girls are in school, perceived low returns from poor quality of education, low aspirations, or household chores and other responsibilities keep them from attending school or from achieving adequate learning outcomes. Innovating for Girls' Education through school feeding One innovation which has been proven to increase pupil enrolment helping to get girls into school and keep them there is school feeding programmes. Not only are children encouraged to go and stay in school, but appropriately designed programmes have been shown to increase access to education and learning, by improving children’s health and nutrition. These improvements are especially realised when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition (SHN) programmes. Further Information Read more on school feeding programmes​ Access school feeding resources ​​Selected School Feeding Resources Rethinking School Feeding 58 Social Safety Nets, Child Development and the Education Sector State of School Feeding Worldwide Cost efficiency of providing food through schools in areas of high food insecurity School food, politics and child health On the transition to sustainability 58 an analysis of the costs of school feeding compared with the costs of primary school​

The Government of Delhi, India have announced it will carry out its second round of school-based deworming, expected to cover 3. million children in over 4 government, municipal and cantonment schools. While inaugurating this second deworming drive, Delhi's Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Walia said that in order to treat children with worms effectively, a sustainable approach should be invested in health and sanitation. Soil-transmitted helminths are the most common infestations in school-age children from poor communities which lead to anaemia, malnutrition, retarded physical and mental development, reduced educational achievement and productivity as adults. School Health in Delhi Delhi's deworming programme was launched in February 22 and reached 2.7 million children under the landmark Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojana (CNSY), an initiative aimed at providing free and comprehensive health services to all school-age children in the capital. The programme's second drive will see deworming tablets and syrups given to to school-age children at government, municipal and cantonment schools on a 'Deworming Day', and to ensure all children are reached, a second quotmop-up day quot will target those who missed deworming medication on the first day. Programme SupportThe programme has been supported by the World Health Organisation who have donated 4, deworming tablets, Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) who have provided financial support and Deworm the World and its India partner, Action Foundation for Social Services (AFSS) who have provided technical support. ​This article was adapted from Business Standard, Delhi govt returns with deworming drive to cover 3.mn kids

All five-to-seven year-old pupils in state schools in England will receive free school meals from September next year, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has announced. Mr Clegg said 58 quotMy ambition is that every primary school pupil should be able to sit down to a hot, healthy lunch with their classmates every day. We will start with infant school pupils because teaching healthy habits young, and boosting attainment early, will bring the biggest benefits. Universal free school meals will help give every child the chance in life that they deserve, building a stronger economy and fairer society. quot The School Food Plan - Boosting Educational Achievement The £m plan is designed to boost the health and educational attainment of children. The School Food Plan, published by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent in July this year, recommended that government embark on a phased roll out of free school meals for all children in all primary schools. The School Food Plan presented evidence that this would lead to positive improvements in health, attainment and social cohesion, and help families with the cost of living. The plan showed that in pilot areas 58 Students were found to be on average 2 months ahead of their peers elsewhereBetween 3% and 5% more children reached target levels in Maths and English at Key Stage , a bigger improvement than the 3.% boost that followed the introduction of a compulsory literacy hour in 998Academic improvements were most marked among children from less affluent families There was a 23% increase in the number of children eating vegetables at lunch and an 8% drop in those eating crisps The School Food Plan was drawn up by Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent, co-founders of the Leon restaurant chain, who said quotevery word quot was endorsed and quotsigned off quot by Michael Gove, the Education Secretary. Read more on the benefits of School feeding News on the Announcement UK Government Free School Meals for Every Child in Infant School Independent Free school meals for every pupil up to year two - and tax breaks for married couples The Guardian Free school meals for infants 'was price for Lib Dem support of Tory tax plan' BBC All infants in England to get free school lunches The Telegraph Free school meals for infants 'was price for Lib Dem support of Tory tax plan'

​In 22, approximately . million children worldwide – 8, children per day – died before reaching their fifth birthday, according to the latest report released by UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO), The World Bank Group and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division. This is roughly half the number of under-fives who died in 99, when more than 2 million children died. “This trend is a positive one. Millions of lives have been saved, quot said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director. quotAnd we can do still better. Most of these deaths can be prevented, using simple steps that many countries have already put in place – what we need is a greater sense of urgency.” The Child on Day , The first , days are a critical window in a child’s development, and as increased progress and efforts continue to ensure more children reach their fifth birthday, it is now as important as ever to not forget the health and well-being of the child on day ,. To maximise the impact for the greater good of children, investments which adopt a child-centric approach are essential. Such investments include School Health and Nutrition (SHN) interventions which improve the education, health and nutrition of school-aged children especially girls, in low and middle-income countries. Disease and malnutrition is still a major burden among school-aged children and children who begin school with the worst health status, have the most to gain from health and nutrition programmes. They also have the most to gain educationally, since they show the greatest improvement in cognition as a result of health intervention. SHN programmes recognise the direct links between good health and good education and the role of schools as a cost-effective provider of both and have become globally recognised as important contributors to countries’ efforts to achieve Education For All and other Millennium Development Goals focused on child health and development. Children who survive past day , continue to need a range of inputs to help them grow up and realise their full potential, not just for good health, but for good education, good food and a supportive society. Useful LinksDownload the report Levels and Trends in Child MortalityRead more about School Health and Nutrition Interventions​.

​​​​The World Health Organization recently released its “Regional Strategic Plan for Neglected Tropical Diseases in the African Region 24 - 22” alongside an accompanying regional NTD strategy, aimed at accelerating the reduction of the disease burden by controlling, eliminating and eradicating targeted NTDs in the African Region.Focus and Objectives The Regional Strategic Plan is anchored on four objectives focused on strengthening programme capacity to achieve NTD goals and targets, in line with WHO produced Global NTD Roadmap and the recent World Health Assembly resolution on NTDs. The four objectives outlined in the Plan are 58 scaling up access to interventions and building the capacity of health systems enhancing planning for results, resource mobilization and financial sustainability of national NTD programmes strengthening advocacy, coordination and national ownership, and enhancing monitoring, evaluation, surveillance and research. The Plan also sets out in detail the actions that should be taken by Member States, Partners and WHO in order to achieve the objectives. Dr Francis Kasolo, the Director of the Disease Prevention and Control Cluster at the WHO Regional Office for Africa said, quotThe targets of the Plan by 22 include the eradication of guinea-worm disease and yaws sustained elimination of leprosy the regional elimination of elephantiasis (Lymphatic Filariasis) and blinding trachoma elimination of river blindness (onchocerciasis) and bilharzia (schistosomiasis) in majority of countries.” The Impact of NTDs on Child Development Children are the most vulnerable to NTDs. For example, hookworm infection in school-age children contributes to drops in school attendance, poor performance and reduction in future earnings – by as much as 4 per cent, according to some estimates. Controlling or eliminating NTDs will contribute significantly to lifting millions of persons out of poverty by increasing access to education because NTDs are believed to infect more than 4 million school–aged children throughout the developing world. Therefore, treating their infections is the single most cost–effective way to boost school attendance, opening the door to growth and learning for the next generation of workers.Is the end in sight for NTDs in the African Region? The answer may well lie with how the Regional NTD Strategy and the Regional Strategic Plan for NTDs are implemented to realize the vision of “an African Region free of Neglected Tropical Diseases”. Useful LinksRead the original WHO article Towards an African region free from Neglected Tropical Diseases Download the Regional NTD StrategyDownload the Regional Strategic Plan for NTDs Download WHO's internationally endorsed Roadmap for Implementation

Applications are invited for the post of Programme Manager – Strategic Grain Reserves to join the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) team. PCD is an organisation committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low-income countries. The Programme Manager will provide an efficient professional service, managing PCD’s programmes relating to Partnership for Child Development work on the Home Grown School Feeding initiative, with a particular focus on the agriculture aspects. The post-holder will be expected to attend international meetings, conferences, workshops and undertake various other operational field activities. About Partnership for Child Development The Partnership for Child Development (PCD) Team is based within the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London, located at St Mary’s campus, Paddington. Imperial College London is a five star research institute equipped with the latest technologies and facilities. This is an excellent opportunity for a well-motivated individual who wants to build on existing experience and knowledge in the field of agriculture to work in one of the UK's leading universities for a busy and successful group. Further details Salary £28,77 - 32,75 per annum PCD are looking for a candidate educated to degree level (or with equivalent experience) in natural resources, development agriculture or rural development (these subject areas are preferred but not essential). You will also have experience of working in the field of International Development in sub-Saharan African countries. This is a full time post for a fixed term until 3 September 25. For full job details please download the job description Deadline for applications is 58 September 23 (midnight BST) To apply please click here then download the application form and submit through the website. For informal enquiries please contact 58Abigail Deamer, a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk.

In May 22, Partnership for Child Development were filmed by Dubai documentary makers on their role in Ghana's Home Grown School Feeding programme (GSFP), which sees the provision of free school meals delivered to children through locally produced food. The documentary series titled, Sanad began airing during Ramadan last month on Dubai Television, with the GSFP featured in episode one. Specifically, the documentary filmed projects funded by philanthropic organisation, Dubai Cares which included Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes supported by PCD and partners in both Ghana and Ethiopia. In episode one, PCD's West Africa Regional Director, Daniel Mumuni outlined PCD's role in the programme alongside the programme's aims to support child health, nutrition and education, at the same time as promoting local livelihoods and income for smallholder farmers who supply their product to the schools. Click here to watch episode one of the documentaryRead more about the GSFPRead more about the Ethiopia HGSF programme

​​​​​​​​As part of ongoing efforts to provide internationally-agreed guidance on how to monitor and evaluate school health programmes, Focusing Resources on Effective School Health​ (FRESH) partners have developed Monitoring and Evaluation (M ampE) Guidance for School Health Programmes. The guidance, based on country-level feedback, including pilot tes​​ting in El Salvador, Ethiopia, Nepal, and the Philippines consists of recommended indicators intended to help programmes in low- and middle- income countries ensure school health programme implementation is standardized and evidence-based. It is also hoped to help lead to better coordination between programmes and the priorities they address and ultimately contribute to better health and education programmes. M ampE Guidance details The guidance encompasses three documents 58. Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance for School Health Programmes 58 Eight Core Indicators to Support FRESH​​ The eight Core Indicators focus on national and school-level efforts to implement comprehensive school heath programmes as defined in the international FRESH framework. Collecting the eight Core Indicators will allow countries to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their school health programming. Using this information, countries can strengthen policy and implementation and monitor progress over time. 2. Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance for School Health Programmes 58 Appendices​​ These appendices include data collection tools to support the collection and compilation of the eight Core Indicators. 3. Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance for School Health Programmes 58 Thematic Indicators​ The Thematic Indicators focus on programme-level M ampE of school health and contain a menu of around 25 indicators, largely drawn from existing M ampE guidance or developed by thematic expert groups, covering 5 school health topics for researchers and programme staff to choose from, including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Worms Food and Nutrition Physical Activity Malaria Oral Health Eye Health Ear and Hearing Immunization Injury Prevention HIV and AIDS Sexual and Reproductive Health Substance Use Violence in Schools and Disaster Risk Reduction. Built in partnership​The guidance has been produced with the support, advice and insights of numerous individuals and organizations over the years, including American Institutes for Research (AIR) Child-to-Child Trust​, Education Development Center (EDC), Education International, International School Health Network (ISHN), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), Partnership for Child Development (PCD), Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership​, Save the Children, Schools for Health in Europe (SHE) Network, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNODC, WFP, WHO and World Bank​.​

The Carter Center have announced that it will no longer only control river blindness, but instead it will work with ministries of health to eliminate it in all countries in Africa and Latin America in the areas where the Center fights the neglected disease. Spread by the bites of black flies that breed in rapidly flowing streams, river blindness (onchocerciasis) is a dreadful eye and skin disease affecting millions of the poorest people around the world. quotRiver blindness can and should be eliminated, not just controlled, even in the most afflicted areas of Africa, quot 57 said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. quotThe Carter Center is taking on the challenge of eliminating river blindness in Africa and Latin America because we know immense suffering can be prevented if we apply both science and political will to this goal. quot 57 Click on image to play filmThe majority of river blindness occurs in Africa, where more than 2 million people are at risk and hundreds of thousands have been blinded by the condition. The disease can be prevented by community-delivered, mass treatments using the safe and effective oral drug Mectizan®, donated by Merck.Moving from control to elimination is a turning point in the Center’s river blindness strategy, requiring thatintervention efforts intensify to wipe out the disease once and for all. Unlike in a control program, in an elimination program, success will mean that the countries’ precious health resources can be freed and reallocated to fight other diseases. The Center officially added the word elimination to its program name to reflect the new focus of its intervention efforts. The Carter Center will enhance elimination efforts by assisting the ministries of health to increase distribution of Mectizan, moving from once-a-year to twice-a-year treatments in some areas, and starting drug distribution in previously untreated areas. quotElimination means that the disease’s chain of transmission has been broken once and for all. Our experience shows that this strategic shift could permanently protect 2 million people and their descendants in Africa from this horrible parasitic worm in areas currently assisted by The Carter Center, quot 57 said Dr. Frank Richards, Carter Center River Blindness Elimination Program director. In Africa, the Center currently assists Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, and Uganda. At the end of 22, The Carter Center had assisted in the delivery of approximately 72 million cumulative Mectizan treatments through community-based channels, as well as improved health education, surveillance and data management, and training of community-based health workers.The engagement of a wide range of partners remains critical to the elimination of river blindness in Africa and Latin America, including the communities and the individual countries’ national programs. Donors and partners of the Carter Center’s River Blindness Program have included Merck and its Mectizan Donation Program the World Health Organization (WHO) including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the WHO-World Bank African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC) the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation the Lions Clubs International Foundation the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) RTI International the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mr. John J. Moores the former River Blindness Foundation the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation BASF the Mohamed S. Farsi Foundation the OPEC Fund for International Development and many other generous donors and partners. Read the original press release

​China have announced that the country’s school feeding programme which benefits 33 million primary and secondary school children in more than , rural schools will be implemented for at least more years, receiving funds of US$2.5 billion per annum. This follows a Partnership for Child Development (PCD), World Bank , and World Food Programme (WFP) review of the programme carried out in 478 Chinese counties in 22 and 23. The assessments, were part of the largest ever independent evaluation of a social programme in China and were published in a China Development Research Foundation CDRF report​. Former Vice Premier of economic, energy and financial affairs, Wang Qishan also cited the assessment whilst praising the programme as a means to address inequality and provide a social safety net, he said that carrying out this evaluation was a demonstration of China’s increasing commitment to evidenced-based decision making. China's School Feeding Programme The Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Students of Compulsory Education was first initiated in 2 in recognition of its impact on ending inter-generational poverty by health, education and development promotion of school children in the 8 poorest counties in China. Prior to the programme's implementation, previous interest in the multi-benefits of school feeding was highlighted by a high-level symposium held by the CDRF in Beijing in 2 which explored how to operationalize child development policies to provide further equitable educational opportunities for poor children through early child development and school health and school feeding programmes. In 2, CDRF also translated and published – via the China People’s Publishing House – a World Bank, WFP and PCD report entitled Rethinking School Feeding 58 Social Safety Nets, Child Development and the Education Sector.Meeting details The announcement of the programme's expansion was made at a high-level meeting attended by, Vice Minister of Education, Lu Xin and Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Development Research Committee (CDRC), Zhang Laiming. At the meeting, Lead Health and Education Specialist at the World Bank, Professor Donald Bundy presented the quotInternational Experience of School Feeding quot 57 on an expert panel focused on quotImprovement of the National Nutrition Improvement Programme quot 57. The meeting also included an award ceremony for provincial school feeding implementers, discussion of the programme’s recent evaluation and a workshop for the programme’s practitioners. Read the review from PCD, World Bank and WFP published by the CDRF, Poverty Alleviation in China (Chinese version) Poverty Alleviation in China (translated by CDRF to English) Download Rethinking School Feeding (English)Download Rethinking School Feeding Ex Summary (Chinese)

​ July is World Population Day which this year focuses on adolescent pregnancy. As the world's population has edged to seven billion people in 2 (up from 2.5 billion in 95), it has had profound implications for development. A world of seven billion is both a challenge and an opportunity with implications on sustainability, urbanization, access to health services and youth empowerment. For World Population Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gave the following message, quotWhen we devote attention and resources to the education, health and well-being of adolescent girls, they will become an even greater force for positive change in society that will have an impact for generations to come. quot quotOn this World Population Day, let us pledge to support adolescent girls to realize their potential and contribute to our shared future, quot he continued. Informing Choice through EducationAbout million girls under age 8 give birth each year. Another 3.2 million undergo unsafe abortions. The vast majority – 9 per cent - of pregnant adolescents in the developing world are married. But for far too many of these girls, pregnancy has little to do with informed choice. The UN cites inadequate education among sexual coercion, discrimination and rights violations as reasons for unwanted pregnancies. World Population Day focuses on raising awareness on the issue of adolescent pregnancy in the hopes of delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. Read more in the original article from UNDocument DownloadsThe World Starts With Me 58 A multilevel evaluation of a comprehensive sex education programme targeting adolescents in Uganda.Seizing the opportunities of adolescent health.Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Toolkit for Humanitarian Settings

On June 25, Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) officially launched its Southeast Asia (SEA) office at the Institute for Economic and Social Research at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. Addressing over 3 international and local academics, government officials and representatives from civil society organizations, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said, quotI would certainly like to invite J-PAL to help strengthen our efforts to combat poverty, especially through rigorous studies and impact evaluations of our poverty eradication policies. I would like to obtain insights from J-PAL's findings in order to enhance and improve the ways of how to fight poverty in Indonesia, quot Also speaking at the launch, J-PAL SEA co-Scientific Director Rema Hanna said, quotJ-PAL’s fifth regional office, funded by AusAID, will serve as a hub for J-PAL’s three core activities in Southeast Asia 58 generating policy-relevant evaluations, building local capacity for rigorous evaluations, and sharing insights from J-PAL’s global network to policymakers in the region. quot The establishment of J-PAL SEA is a result of a partnership formed between J-PAL affiliated researchers and the Government of Indonesia, the World Bank, and NGOs to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of national development and social assistance programmes. Following the launch, J-PAL SEA hosted its first policy workshop where researchers and policy makers came together to identify potential areas of research and policy interest in poverty, governance, education, and health. Read more in the original articl​​e from J-PAL

​In 2, world leaders made a commitment to get all children into school by 25. With a little under three years to go to that deadline 57 million children around the world still do not go to school. To tackle this shortfall, in 23 Partnership for Child Development's Lesley Drake joined forces joined forces with HE John Kufour, Gordon and Sarah Brown and partners from the UN’s Education First Initiative to strengthen our efforts and make a final push to get all children into school and learning. ​In October 22 a Taliban gunman boarded a school bus and shot 5-year-old Malala Yousafzai because they feared her strong voice in the fight for women’s rights and youth education. She survived, but that is not the end of the story.On 2th July 23, Malala turned , and she’s spent her birthday at the UN Youth Assembly making her first public speech since the Taliban attempted to take her life.Since this time she has called on global leaders to end this education emergency, and our friends at A World At School are continuing to gather signatures for a petition to support her.Please join us in supporting Malala’s fight to bring the 57 million out-of-school youth – especially girls – access to education by 25. Sign the 58 A World At School Petition​. Thank you for supporting Education for All.

The World Bank (WB) has projected that extreme poverty should be eliminated completely or reduced globally, from 23% to 3%. Professor Donald Bundy, Lead Head and Education Specialist at the World Bank, who made the projection, expressed regret that many nations are experiencing tremendous economic growth yet the poor are not benefitting from the progress. Professor Bundy was addressing participants attending a School Health and Nutrition (SHN) Short Course in Elmina, Ghana on Monday. He said currently about one billion people the world over live in extreme poverty. The -day course, which forms part of a series of SHN Courses for Africa, is being jointly organised by Partnership for Child Development, West Africa International Parasite Control of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical research and Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasitic Control. It is the ninth edition of the course and is being attended by representatives from ministries of health, education, gender and social development, SHN experts, civil society and academicians from 3 countries including Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola China, United Kingdom, Cameroon and The Gambia. ​​​Read more in the original article from Modern GhanaFurther News CoverageJoy Online World Bank to eliminate extreme povertyOther Useful Links Government of Ghana to host SHN Experts for 9th Africa Short Course Africa Short Course 23 Africa Short Course 22

23 ministers representing ministries of agriculture, health and education from low and middle income countries were among the 3 participants who recently attended the Global Child Nutrition Forum (GCNF) 23 which focused on strengthening school feeding programmes sourced from local smallholder farmers.Making the Case for Investing in School Feeding The Forum which took place in Bahia, Brazil heard from the region's governor, Jack Wagner, who during the opening ceremony said, quotSchool feeding and child development is crucial for the development of our country. quotHe continued, quotWe are sure that school feeding is an attraction for getting children in school and we need to realise that bringing education to our children is a priority. quot Ministers attending the Forum represented countries developing new programmes, or seeking to improve existing school feeding programmes and included countries 58 Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Liberia and Sudan. Other countries included Iraq from the Middle East Haiti and Costa Rica from Latin America and the Caribbean and Tajikistan from Asia. Forum Details​ On the official first day of the Forum ministers from Ghana, Mozambique, Mali and Costa Rica presented their country experiences which clearly highlighted the quotwin-win quot benefits of the HGSF initiative namely, its positive impact on child nutrition, education as in addition to agricultural development.​Experiences were exchanged and opinions debated over options for developing sustainable national school feeding programmes to local farm production, highlighting a key message of the event - that there is not a one size fits all policy for the programme implementation across countries. Throughout the five days, the Forum provided 58 . Hands-on programme planning in which countries evaluated their capacity and engaged in a country needs assessments2. development of country specific plans for establishing programmes3. opportunities to learn from other countries’ experiences through the exchange of information about what works and what does not work through case studies and other strategies 4. and networking mechanisms for continued collaboration after delegates return home.The Brazil ExperienceThe Forum held in the Bahia district of Brazil was the 5th edition of the meeting and the first time that it had taken place in South America, giving participants the opportunity to learn about local experiences and elements of the Brazilian School Feeding Programme - which has been hailed as an example of best practice in school feeding implementation around the world. Using its experience and expertise, the Brazilian government have been able to provide south-to-south support to other countries wishing to implement the programmes. So far, this assistance has extended to 43 countries.​ Other Forum ArticlesCountry Experiences - the Benefits of Investing in School Feeding​ Brazilian Ministers welcome participants at the Global Child Nutrition Forum 23 ​Global Child Nutrition Forum 23​​

The first State of School Feeding Worldwide report was recently launched by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), providing for the first time a global picture and analysis of school feeding programmes in well-off countries as well as in developing nations, and data on how governments use school meals as a quot quotsafety net quot quot 57 in times of crisis. According to the research, around 38 million children, about out of every 5, get a meal at school every day in 9 developing and developed countries. Global investment in these programmes is of the order of US$ 75 billion, with most coming from government budgets. quotSchool feeding assures that where quality education is available children are able to take advantage of the opportunity to learn quot 57 said the Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme, Ertharin Cousin. quotIt’s an investment that pays off in the future with better educated, stronger and healthier adults and also a critical safety net to prevent the most vulnerable from suffering in times of crisis quot 57. In the past five years, at least 38 countries have scaled-up their school feeding programme in in response to a crisis, be it related to food prices, conflict, natural disaster or financial volatility. quotDuring the food and fuel crises in 28 many governments struggled to protect the most vulnerable from hunger and looked to school meals to achieve that. In the current recession even wealthy nations are examining how school meals can prevent families sliding deeper into poverty and hunger, quot said State of School Feeding Worldwide lead author Carmen Burbano. The State of School Feeding Worldwide was launched at the largest annual meeting of school feeding experts, co-hosted by the Global Child Nutrition Foundation and WFP’s Centre of Excellence Against Hunger in Brazil.​Download the report The State of School Feeding Worldwide 23Read more about School Feeding

Dubai Cares recently announced the launch of its three-year integrated Home Grown School Feeding pilot programme in Ethiopia, which is being implemented in 3 schools to address the school health and nutrition (SHN) needs of approximately 3,7 primary school age children in the Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples' Region (SNNPR). quotDubai Cares has launched this three-year programme to contribute to the evidence base and facilitate informed decision-making and scale-up not only in Ethiopia but also in other countries across the world. quotsaid Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares at the press conference of the programme launch held in Ethiopia. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone. The $(US)4 million Dubai Cares funded pilot programme in Ethiopia is based on a contemporary, cost-effective, nationally-owned and sustainable school health and nutrition model, which aims to enhance primary school enrolment rates, reduce absenteeism and improve the learning abilities of the children in the region. An Integrated Programme The pilot is being carried out through a partnership formed by the World Food Programme, Partnership for Child Development, SNV-Netherlands and the Ethiopia Health and Nutrition Research Institute and through this collaboration various aspects have been contributed to the programme. In addition to in-school meals prepared from locally sourced commodities, components of Deworming treatment and Water, Sanitation amp Hygiene (WASH) in schools have been included. Iain Gardiner, East Africa Regional Coordinator for PCD, said, quotThe Dubai Cares funded HGSF programme is a leading example of how different stakeholders can effectively pool their expertise to make a real impact on the health, education and wealth of farming communities in Ethiopia. quot Over million school-age children worldwide are infected with parasitic worms which severely affects child health and learning abilities, improving access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene education also reduces illness and death from disease. Mr Gardiner added, quotAs part of the programme, researchers will be conducting one of the largest school health monitoring surveys ever undertaken within Ethiopia. Using this new evidence base, we will be able to ensure that interventions are targeted to where they are most needed. quot Useful LinksRead more on HGSFRead more on DewormingRead more on WASHRelated Articles on the LaunchGulf News Poor Ethiopian Farmer Speaks of Anguish and HopeMiddle East North Africa Financial Network Dubai Cares launches 3-year HGSF program in EthiopiaAlbawaba Press Dubai Cares launches a 3-year Home Grown School Feeding pilot program in EthiopiaThe National Free school meals for 4, Ethiopian pupils, thanks to UAE charity

Government officials from ministries of agriculture, education and health representing 2 West African countries are to meet in the Gambia from June 4 - for a workshop focused on strengthening school feeding programmes linked to local agricultural production. Workshop Director and Director of Basic and Secondary Education in the Gambia, Mrs Amicoleh Mbaye said, quotHaving the various personalities from 2 different countries come together is a clear manifestation of government commitment to school feeding programme ownership using the multi-sectoral approach quot 57. Home Grown School Feeding - A School Health and Nutrition InterventionHome Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes which link school feeding to agricultural production are one of the school based health and nutrition (SHN) services available to schools helping to promote enrolment, attendance and improve children’s learning abilities. HGSF programmes also encourage agricultural development and local livelihoods creating a stable and predictable market for both local smallholder farmers and others involved in the delivery of school meals. It has become widely recognised that SHN interventions support child health and well-being and encourage children to be fit to learn. In addition to school feeding, these interventions address challenges such as HIV/AIDS prevention, malaria, parasitic worms and nutritional deficiencies – which have hugely negative impacts on child health, education and their achievements later in life. Mrs Mbaye continued, quotThis workshop brings together a diverse range of expertise in the areas of education, agriculture and health, to explore in-depth barriers and subsequent actions required to achieve nationally owned sustainable HGSF programmes linked to the broader school health and nutrition package quot 57. Building on Interest in the West Africa RegionDue to the win-win benefits of HGSF both for farmers and children alike, many low and middle income country governments are striving towards implementing nationally owned, sustainable HGSF programmes. The workshop builds on this interest in the West Africa region, and is hosted by the Gambian Government, on behalf of the ministries of agriculture, education, health, local government and rural development from countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), with support provided by the World Bank and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD). Key school feeding and SHN programming stakeholders representing countries 58 Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cote D’Ivoire, Togo, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Mali and Senegal will at the workshop, learn from discussions centred on good practice in SHN interventions, and ways to strengthen school feeding linkages with agriculture. Country teams will also have the chance to share experiences, network across teams and learning will be put into action as countries work on HGSF programme action plans. quotDuring the workshop, programme implementers and policy makers will be able to share their successes, challenges and overall experiences from diverse perspectives, quot 57 said PCD’s West Africa Regional Coordinator, Daniel Mumuni. He continued, quotLocal ministries will also be able to discuss effective ways of bringing their comparative advantages to programme implementation. In the end, Government capacity and leadership to effectively manage HGSF is imperative, and the workshop further enhances this process quot 57.

A-three-day regional workshop on Home Grown School Feeding within the context of national School Health and Nutrition (SHN) programmes yesterday kicked-off on June 4 in Banjul, Gambia. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Madam Fatou Lamin Faye, the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, said quotThe forum presents an exciting opportunity that brings together a diverse range of expertise in the areas of education, agriculture and health, to explore further the barriers and actions required to achieve a nationally owned sustainable home-grown school feeding programme and linking it to the broader school health and nutrition package quot. School feeding programmes have been shown to improve child nutrition, learning abilities, increase school enrolment and children are also more likely to stay in school once they are there. The workshop, which is hosted by the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education of The Gambia, with support from the Partnership for Child Development and the World Bank, was in response to the needs for raising awareness and understanding of diverse strategies for sustainable school feeding programmes, with a renewed focus on linkages with agriculture in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member countries. According to organisers, the broad objectives of the Banjul workshop are to share experiences and take stock of the status of implementation of school-feeding programmes, with a view to having paradigm shift in favour of a nationally owned school feeding programme.​ Read the original article from All Africa​

The Lancet will be publishing a major new Series which examines the current and expected extent of maternal and child under-nutrition and obesity, and the interventions that are appropriate for low- and middle-income countries. Authored by the Maternal and Child Nutrition Study Group – a renowned set of global health and development academics and practitioners – the Series consists of four papers and a Call to Action commentary from the authors. The Series will appear ahead of the quotNutrition for Growth 58 Beating hunger through business and science quot 57 pre-G8 meeting, convened by the Brazilian and UK governments and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.Paper Presentation Launch To launch the papers a symposium presentation of the papers, followed by a panel discussion led by Dr Richard Horton, Editor of The Lancet, will be held on Thursday, June at Imperial College London. Additional launch events will be hosted by local partners in Washington, DC, Ethiopia, India, and several other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Event SpeakersSpeakers at the paper presentation taking place at Imperial College London will include 58 Ferew Lemma, Senior Advisor, Officer of the Minister, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia, Robert Black, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Marie Ruel, International Food Policy Research Institute and Anna Taylor, Senior Nutrition Advisor, UK Department for International Development. For the full agenda Click here.Event Time amp Location Imperial College – St Mary’s CampusRothschild Lecture Hall, School of MedicineNorfolk Place, London W2 PG June , 239 58am – 5 58pm (BST)

​From June - 2 the Government of Ghana hosted the 9th African School Health and Nutrition (SHN) Course where representatives from ministries of health, education, agriculture, gender and social development, SHN experts, civil society and academics representing 2 African countries gathered to focus on best practice in SHN interventions. The course was co-organised by Partnership for Child Development, West African Centre for International Parasite Control (WACIPAC) of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, and Eastern and Southern Africa Centre of International Parasitic Control (ESACIPAC). Dr. Irene Ayi, Head of WACIPAC and the WACIPAC’s Department of Parasitology said, quotThe SHN Short Course has over the years grown from strength to strength, providing an opportunity for ideas and experience exchange among policy and programme managers involved in school health and school feeding interventions from the various countries in attendance. Such interventions have been shown to improve the health and academic performance of school-age children quot 57. Impact of School Health and Nutrition InterventionsCurrent perspectives on effective education reinforce that quality education is achieved through not only the provision of quality teachers, curriculum and materials but by supporting children’s health and wellbeing to be quot˜fit to learn’. A growing body of evidence also highlights the long-term and far-reaching negative consequences of poor health outcomes for school-age children on the broader education system, achievements later in life, and national and regional economies. Comprehensive SHN programmes address challenges which negatively impact on child health, and such interventions include HIV/AIDS prevention, malaria and parasitic worm treatment, control and prevention, and nutritional deficiencies such as iron-deficient anaemia and short-term hunger through school feeding. Course FocusThroughout the short course, participants attended hands-on planning workshops and heard from experts in their fields deliver lectures exploring SHN themes, with particular focus paid to the theme of Nutrition in the School-Age Child and Adolescents. Opening the course a keynote panel including Sir Roy Anderson, Director of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Research and Professor Donald Bundy, Lead Health and Education Specialist at the World Bank discussed current SHN perspectives on child health and infectious disease and school feeding. The Local ContextThe course, which was held in Elmina, Ghana also gave participants the opportunity to learn from the Ghanaian context and the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), particularly on the eighth day of the course where attendees participated in school and teacher training college visits. Appropriately designed school feeding programmes such as the GSFP have been shown to increase access to education and learning, and improve children’s health and nutrition, especially when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition programmes. The GSFP, supported by PCD, sources school meals from local farmers and integrates components including deworming children from parasitic worms, ration design for nutritious school meals and assessing child behavioural change. At the same time the GSFP which sources school meals from local farmers provides them with a regular and reliable income by investing in the use of locally-produced food for school feeding. Short Course LinksDownload course information, agenda and presentations at the following page Africa SHN Short Course 23​Read more about the Africa Short Course 22​ News Coverage of the CourseModern Ghana World Bank to Eliminate Extreme PovertyGhana Business News World Bank projects reduction of extreme povertyJoy Online World Bank to eliminate extreme poverty​

​The transmission of HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa could be slashed if efforts are made to combat the spread of the waterborne disease schistosomiasis by providing clean water, sanitation and health education, a study reports. Genital Schistosomiasis and HIV Infection Genital schistosomiasis, which causes vaginal ulcers, has long been known as a risk factor for HIV infection, as well as infertility and miscarriage, among women in Africa. It is caused by a flatworm transmitted through dirty water. ​ Genital schistosomiasis is usually acquired by children and women. It lives in the bladder and genital tract, causing lesions around the vagina and cervix and resulting in a condition known clinically as female genital schistosomiasis. Community based interventions - treating children for schistosomiasisTo test whether schistosomiasis infections could be reduced in a cost-effective manner, researchers from Norway, South Africa and the United States plugged epidemiological and clinical data from Zimbabwe into a mathematical model. They found that community-based interventions - providing universal clean water, sanitation and education, as well as the drug praziquantel to treat schistosomiasis in children - would be cost-effective way of cutting the two infections at between US$725 and US$, per individual over a period of 2 years. Read more about schistosomiasis in children and the importance of dewormingRead more in the original article from All Africa Schistosomiasis - a control route to cutting HIV in AfricaDownload the paper, Cost-effectiveness of a community-based interventionfor reducing the transmission of Schistosomahaematobium and HIV in Africa​​

On April 25, World Malaria Day is celebrated globally, presenting the opportunity to highlight remarkable progress made towards combatting malaria over recent years. In Africa, malaria deaths have been cut by one third within the last decade outside of Africa, 35 out of the 53 countries, affected by malaria, have reduced cases by 5% in the same time period. In countries where access to malaria control interventions has improved most significantly, overall child mortality rates have fallen by approximately 2%. Continuing to focus on the fight is vital. If we are to learn from examples of infectious disease control, remaining committed to efforts in eradication and controlling the spread of the disease is a valuable lesson learnt.Useful Resources The Malaria Toolkit The Malaria Control in Schools toolkit aims to enable education professionals to develop effective programmes on the prevention and control of malaria for school-age children within malaria endemic countries. Practical up-to-date information and experience on the control of malaria in schools is presented with both technical and policy advice on malaria, and how countries can plan and implement school-based malaria interventions. Download the toolkit. For more information on Malaria, visit the Schools amp Health Malaria page Global Malaria Mapper (GMP) - Created in collaboration with the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), this interactive online Map Editor allows you to access and map comprehensive, reliable and relevant data from the WHO World Malaria Report 22WHO World Malaria Report 22Useful links For more information on Malaria, search for Country Programmes on Malaria, articles in the Malaria Bibliography and Document Downloads or visit the Malaria Consortium website. News Articles​Invest in the Future 58 Defeat Malaria Malaria Consortium launches exhibition to mark World Malaria Day We Can’t Give Up on Financial Efforts to Save the Lives of 3 Million Children in Africa by 25

​​​The Ministry of Education, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, has recently approved a new School Health and Nutrition Strategy plan, which, for the first time, includes school eye health. This has resulted from its advocacy and intervention from a partnership formed between the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), the World Bank and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD). Initially, IAPB established links with PCD and requested the opportunity to include a session on school eye health in the workshops being held at national level with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health as a first step in preparing a national school health programme. Shortly following this, the IAPB, led by Mr. Hasan Minto, Brien Holden Vision Institute, presented in a workshop in Kenya and in Ethiopia, where he was supported by Dr Amir Bedri Kello, Co-Chair of IAPB Eastern Africa. Thanks to this intervention the school health and nutrition plan for Ethiopia now includes school eye health, which will mean all school age children will have better eye health awareness and access to primary eye care services. Useful linksDownload the School Health and Nutrition Strategy plan Read the original article from IAPBWatch Dr Kello talking about child eye health on a recent interview with Dr Amir Bedri KelloFor more information on child eye health visit Schools amp Health pages on Child Vision

The Partnership for Child Development (PCD), an organisation committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low-income countries is seeking an Ethiopia Epidemiologist Parasitologist. PCD consists of a global consortium of civil society organizations, academic institutions and technical experts with a streamlined coordinating centre based at Imperial College London. Its role is to engage specific experts, in specific countries, on specific issues, as and when required. The successful applicant will be required to 58Co-ordinate and support survey activitiesSupervise and undertake data collectionPrepare reports and documents from survey data, including figures and visual materials.Liaise with in-country (including government officials) and in-region partners on issues relating to the survey.Prepare and submitted papers for publicationFor full details including the job description, requirements and project information Download the Terms of Reference. For queries and details on how to apply please contact i.gardiner@imperial.ac.uk.

​ An event held last week, co-hosted by World Bank President Yong Kim, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown titled, quotThe Final Sprint to 25 Delivering Quality Education amp Learning for All quot brought together ministers of education and finance from low and middle income countries, NGOs, youth and international institutions to agree to accelerate progress toward in the final run down to the MDG 25 deadline. Following on from this, Yong Kim recently posted a blog outlining the pressing need for strong and accountable educational systems. Here he listed five actions that should be taken to ensure learning for all children and youth around the globe. Investing in strong and accountable education systemsTeachers, classrooms, bathrooms, textbooks, and stipends can all make a big difference in whether kids actually attend school. But solving the learning crisis will require more than simply increasing spending on inputs it will require investing in strong and accountable education systems that ensure every child -- regardless of gender, country or family circumstances -- can go to school and get a quality education, so she can live free of poverty and realize her dreams. Five Critical Steps to Achieve Learning for All Invest early. Ninety percent of brain development occurs before age five. The lack of proper nutrition or stimulation in the earliest years. Support the most disadvantaged children, especially girls. The greatest learning gap occurs among children living in poverty, and girls face particular challenges in many countries. Make schooling count. Countries need to ensure that children acquire the basic skills necessary to continue learning by the time they complete primary education.Measure what kids learn. Every country should have a credible national or international assessment system in place to measure student learning at each level of education.​ The data and diagnostic reports from the Bank's Systems Approach for Better Education Results programme will help countries put effective policies and systems in place to measure student performance. This will also enable parents and citizens to hold governments and schools accountable for results.Ensure resiliency. It's difficult, and sometimes impossible, for children to go to school and learn when they're surrounded by civil war or natural disasters. Such conditions mean destroyed classrooms, students forced out of school, disabilities, and fewer teachers. Education must be a fundamental element of the recovery and rebuilding process once crisis has passed.​Read the original article from Jim Yong Kim 58 Reaching the Classroom is Just the First Step Read more about the event ​last week The Final Sprint to 25

World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April each year, marking the founding anniversaryof theWorld Health Organization in 948. The Impact of Poor Health on EducationFor children across the world especially inlow incomecountries, poor health negativelyimpacts on education. Poor health resulting from inadequate nutrition, parasitic worm infections,lack of access to clean drinking water or appropriate sanitation and hygiene practices, affects school attendance and a child’s ability to learn. million primary school-age children attend school hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone, while over 443 million school days are missed every year by children who consume contaminated water. Using the school based platformto improve child health School Health amp Nutrition (SHN)programmes are increasingly being recognised as a way to increase primary education enrollment, retention andare an effective way to improve child healthreachingchildren on agrand scale.Some Effective School Health amp Nutrition InterventionsSchool-based deworming is universally recognised as a safe, simple and cost-effective solution for treating children with worm infections, which negatively impact on theirlearningabilities anddevelopment. School feeding programmes, which have been carefully designed,have been shown to increase access to education and learning, as well as toimprove children’s health and nutrition, especially when integrated into comprehensive SHN programmes.Promoting Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools whichsees access and messages of good hygiene, sufficient and better quality drinking-water and basic sanitation, can dramaticallyreduce the number of childrensuffering fromdiarrhoeal diseases.

Friday 22 March marked World Water Day 23. Improving access to safe water and hygiene is significant for making progress towards reducing poverty, through achieving global health standards and improving food security. Without access to properly sanitized water communities are also more exposed to Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). In many developing regions, key water resources harbor the parasite that causes the NTD, schistosomiasis, a disease more commonly found in children, which negatively impacts on their health, school attendance and learning abilities. Read more about worms and their impact on child health Read more about access to safe water and sanitation. Download a brief produced for World Water Day 23 by the Global Network for NTDs on Water and Sanitation.

During his first ever visit to Ghana, Bill Gates joined the Partnership for Child Development to talk with smallholder farmers, teachers and caterers to better understand the issues and opportunities presented by Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programmes. Bill Gates with PCD's Daniel Mumuni discuss schoolfeeding with Ghanaian smallholder farmers (Photo courtesy of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been supporting the development of government-led, HGSF programmes since 29. These nationally owned programmes enable schools to procure the ingredients for their school meals from local smallholder farmers. The benefits of programmes, such as the Ghana School Feeding Programme(GSFP), are felt by the school child and farmer alike with school children getting free nutritious hot meals whilst the farmer gets access to a regular market, providing a win-win for both education and economic development.To see for himself the impact that HGSF is having on local communities, Bill Gates travelled with Gates Foundation grantee, the Partnership for Child Development, to meet with local smallholder farmers and representatives of the Ghana School Feeding Programme to discuss issues including market access, crop storage facilities and linkages between the farmers and school caterers. During the visit to the Kwabenya-Atomic region of Accra, Mr Gates was taken on a farm tour by local farmer Jacob, who makes his living by selling his crops to GSFP caterers. Speaking of the GSFP, Jacob said, quot˜The school feeing programme is very good for me because I can sell my crop direct from my farm without having to spend extra money on transporting it to market.’, he added, quot˜I am proud that it is my produce that is being used to feed the school children.’Mr Gates later visited the nearby Atomic Primary School to see school feeding first hand and speak with the headmistress about the positive effects that school feeding had on enrolment and pupil attention. He also joined in a lively discussion with the school feeding caterers who, under contract from the GSFP, supply the cooked food to the school children. PCD, based at Imperial College London, together with development partners including the World Bank, WFP and SNV, have been providing technical advice to the GSFP to support the Ghanaian Government’s plans to extend the reach and impact of the programme . Following the visit Mr Gates met with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama who commended the Gates Foundation on the contributions it had made to boosting the nutritional needs of children and increasing school enrolment through its support of the GSFP.

​​Deworming in Cameroon Cameroon's National Committee for the Control of Schistosomiasis and Intestinal Worms recently met in Yaounde to discuss ways of deworming as many children as possible within the age group of -4 years. ​At the meeting, the Minister of Public Health stressed the need for different ministries and partners to work in synergy with health expertsas part of effortsto deworm at least million children this year. Minister of Basic Education, Youssou​​f Hadjidja Alim, commended the efforts made by health personnel to target children in schools across the country. HIV and Sexual Health EducationPrimary school teachers from six regions of Cameroonhave also begunacquainting themselves with the education and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS in schools. The project aimsto reduce infection by 5%in middle schools by 25.This article is originally published in CRTV ​​Read more on the importance of Deworming in Schools. Read more on HIV Education.

More than nine million pupils aged between 5–4 years were treated for intestinal worms and screened for leprosy from 8 to 22 March 23 as part of a Ministry of Health initiated-campaign in Brazil. The Campaign's Objectives The objective was to reduce the parasitic burden of soil-transmitted helminthiases in schoolchildren and identify suspected cases of leprosy through a survey that involves the mapping of lesions, and referring any suspected case to a primary care service for diagnostic confirmation and treatment. The activities were carried out by municipal health departments in partnership with nongovernmental and other organizations. Schoolchildren were given an appropriate dose of the deworming medicine albendazole by specially trained health professionals. The Campaign's Aims The campaign aimed at evaluating 7% of students through the survey of signs and symptoms suggestive of leprosy and treating at least an identical percentage of schoolchildren aged 5–4 years for intestinal worms. Read more in the original article from the World Health Organization, Brazilian school-based deworming and leprosy case-finding campaign targets more than 9 million children.

Applications are invited for the post of Advocacy Manager to join the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) team based at the St. Mary’s Campus, Paddington.Job Title 58 Advocacy Manager Department/Division/Faculty 58 School of Public Health Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, St Mary's Campus Salary 58 £28,2- 32, per annumThe Partnership for Child Development PCD is an organisation committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low-income countries. The PCD Team is based within the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology located at St Mary’s campus, Paddington. The department is based within a five star research institute equipped with the latest technologies and facilities. Job Duties SummaryThe post holder will work in close collaboration with the Senior Communications Manager to ensure all advocacy opportunities are efficiently targeted. The Advocacy Manager post will be part of the Communications, Partnerships and Advocacy Team based in London.The post-holder will provide an efficient professional service, developing and managing (where necessary) advocacy strategies to promote nationally-owned school health and nutrition programmes in low and middle in-come countries.This is an excellent opportunity for a well-motivated person who wants to build on existing experience in the field of advocacy to work in one of the UK's leading universities for a busy and successful group. Summary of Experience Applicants should be educated to degree level or have equivalent experience (qualifications in development or public health are preferred but not essential) and have experience of developing advocacy strategies and of raising awareness of programmes at all levels. This is a full time post for a fixed term until 3th September 25. Application details Please visit the Imperial Websitefor fulldetails on how to apply. Closing Date for Applications is 2st April 23For informal enquiries please contact Abigail Deamer a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk.

Inexpensive school-based deworming treatment improves health and school attendance in the short term and improves productivity in the long term. From 998 - 2 a series of studies evaluating the Primary School Deworming Project (PSDP), a school-based deworming programme which was carried out in Western Kenya showed that deworming treatment is not only highly effective and inexpensive, and thatit is easy to administer through public schools, and brings benefits to children years after treatment. (Fig 2 from J-PAL Policy Bulletin, Deworming - A Best Buy for Development,March 22) The studies showed that in the schools where deworming was carried out 58 Moderate to heavy worm infections decreased dramatically and other health indicators such as anaemia and self-reported illnesses alsoimproved.Attendance rates also increased. A decade later, children who had been infants when the deworming programme started in their community showed cognitive gains, equivalent to .5 - .8 years of schooling. Hundreds of millions of children worldwide are still at risk of worm infection, so providing free school-based deworming treatment is a policy quotwin quot for health, education and development. Original summary of results and details on the PSDP can be found in theBulletin, Deworming - A Best Buy for Developmentfrom J-PAL Poverty Action Lab.

Authors of a recently published paper evaluating a five-year trial of Deworming and Enhanced Vitamin A supplementation (DEVTA) in one million pre-school children in Uttar Pradesh, India have argued for funders to quotinvest and invest heavily quot in such studies. The DEVTA trial, originally carried out seven years ago, was larger than all other vitamin A trials combined and shows thatpre-school vitamin A supplementation, assumed to reduce child mortality by a quarter and intestinal deworming, and assumed to improve child nutrition, growth, and cognitive development has been shown to have no significant effect on child mortality. Conclusions are drawn in the paper that although DEVTA didn't show a big difference to child mortality rates, funders shouldn't shy away from funding trials of this scale. One such institution, theLondon Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Research, which was opened on January 3 this year, aims to address these and otherresearch needs to strengthen the evidence-base around effective NTD control programmes. Research carried outby the Centrewill serve to provide demand driven technical advice and support to countries looking to develop and implement deworming programmes. Conclusions in the paper are made, quotAs an international community of scientists participating in policy, we must ensure that this trial...ensure(s) the best use of ï¬ 29nite resources to contribute to the health of children in developing countries. quotAccess the paper, DEVTA 58 results from the biggest clinical trial ever.

Scientists have recently used an iPhone 4S to diagnose intestinal worm infections in schoolchildren in rural Tanzania. The impact on children Researcher Dr Isaac Bogoch, who specialises in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Toronto General Hospital said 58 quotThe (iPhone) microscope was very good at diagnosing children with heavier infection intensities as there are more eggs, so they are easier to see...These parasitic infections cause malnutrition, stunted growth, and stunted mental development quot. Intestinal worms are estimated to affect up to two billion people around the world, mainly in poor areas. Using the iPhone Dr Bogoch, told the BBC he had read about smartphone microscopes being trialled in a laboratory and decided to, quotrecreate it in a real world setting...The technology is out there. We want to use materials that are affordable and easy to procure. quot The researchersattached an $8 (£5) ball lens to the handset camera lens, and used a cheap torch and double-sided tape to create an improvised microscope. Pictures were then taken of stool samples placed on lab slides, wrapped in cellophane and taped to the phone. They were studied for the presence of eggs, the main sign of the presence of the parasites. When the results were double-checked with a laboratory light microscope, the device had managed to pick up 7% of the samples with infections present - and 9% of the heavier infections. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneRead the orignal article from the BBC Worms detected from converted iPhone Microscope. Read more coverage from Core 77, How a Doctor's Five-Minute, $5 iPhone Hack Could Affect Million Lives. [Image credit 58 Issac Bogoch]

Ananti-schistosomiasis campaign has been launched by the Yemeni Government which will target 45% of Yemen's 24 million population aged six years and up. According to the World Heath Organization, Yemen suffers from a high disease burden of schistosomiasis, with three million people estimated to be infected and there being , severe chronic cases. Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease which can negatively affect all aspects of a child's development 58 their health, nutrition, cognitive development, learning and educational access and achievement. The programme, financed by the World Bank, will cover districts in governorates and was offically launched on Sunday May. Image credit 58 Xinhua/MohammedReadthe original news coverage fromXinhaunetAndcoverage from theYemen PostAccess thiswormyworld'sYemen Country Profile Mapshowing the country'sNeglected Tropical Disease (NTD) prevelance.

Original article written by Professor Donald Bundy and co-authored by Carmen Burbano,in the World Bank Blog, Investing In Health. March 8 marks the first celebration ofInternational School Meals Day. New evidence suggests that today around 37 million children will eat a meal at school. This first school meals celebration happens to fall on International Women's Day, which is particularly fitting as one of the most striking benefits of school feeding is more girls attending school. School Meals - A Social Safety Net School feeding does not just bring benefits for education. It is one of the ways that countries can ensure that the most vulnerable children have a protective safety net that is, they will receive a meal at school even if they can’t be fed at home. Good school feeding programmes are a major part of the way the world looks after its vulnerable children, enhances girls' access to education and promotes good dietary habits. Home Grown School Feeding International School Meals Day, isan initiative led by the US and UK andis designed to raise awareness of the importance of food and nutrition to education, in this spirit of sharing global experiences it is worth examing a government led movement in sub-Saharan Africa, Home Grown School Feeding, which is focused on benefiting both schoolchildren and smallholder farmers by creating a stable, structured market for local produce. The agriculture team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided leadership in helping these women benefit from the school feeding market, especially through support to the Purchase For Progress programme of WFP and the HGSF initiaitveof the Partnership for Child Development. The advantages of linking local agriculture and school feeding are substantial 58 more prosperous smallholder farmers, with a more secure future stronger rural communities, with more stable economies with an increased demand for local, fresh food and healthier, happier children. Read the original article, School Meals Benefit Women and Girls Around the World, inWorld Bank Blog Investing in Health, News and Views in Healthy Development.

Women's Day has been observed since in the early 9's, (and internationally since the 97s). Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatric performances, fashion parades and more. The Impact of Education The day offers a chance to look at promoting the health and education status of girls. Unfortunately, the majority of out of school children around theworldare girls. And the impact of receiving an educationon theirhealth, life choices and economicopportunitieslater on in life is huge.Gender Education Facts An extra year of primary school education boosts girls eventual wages by – 2 %. An extra year of secondary school adds – 2% When a girl in the developing world receives seven years of education she marries four years later In sub-Saharan Africa fewer than one in five girls makes it to secondary school Girls who stay in school during adolescence are less likely to be subjected to forced sex and more likely to use contraception than peers out-of-schoolFocusing on initiatives such as school feeding, where freenutritious meals are provided tochildren,is one way to increase enrolment rates, and particularly enrolment rates for girls. School feeding has been shown to get children into school and keep them there.Not only this, but once well fed, they can concentrate better at school. School feeding provides a social safety net that helps address issues of inequity and gender imbalance.

A new study from the London Centre for NTD Research has been published which highlights that school based deworming programmes which target school children need to be integrated with other control programmes to have an impact on the wider community. The study, led by the London Centre for NTD Research argues that school-based deworming programmes which treat soil-transmitted helminths (STH) have many important benefits for school-aged children, but target only a small proportion of parasites in the wider community, highlighting the need for furtherresearch lookinginto the wider impacts ofcontrol programmes. The paper, published in PloS NTDs explains, quotSince there are very few studies which look at the indirect effect of school-based treatment, we need to do more studies to estimate mixing patterns and the impact on transmission in order to design effective programmes in the future. quot The study showed that the impact of school-based treatment depends on the extent to which school children over-contribute to transmission in the community than adults - something which hasn't been studied since the early 99s.The London Centre for NTD Research, which was opened on January 3 this year, aims to address these and other research needs to strengthen theevidence-base around effectiveNTD control programmes. This London Centre'sresearch will serve to provide demand driven technical advice and support to countries looking to develop and implement their own government-led programmes. Read the article, How Effective Is School-Based Deworming for the Community-Wide Control of Soil-Transmitted Helminths?Read more on the Importance of Deworming in Schools.

Nigeria took an important step in the global fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) with the launch of a new Five Year Implementation Plan for the control and elimination of diseases of which threaten the health of over million Nigerians. Launching the plan, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. C. O. Onyebuchi Chukwu, said the launch marks a turning point in the campaign against the Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in the country and that successful implementation of the Plan quotwill rely on strong political commitments and partnership supports at all levels quot 57 adding that quotan unprecedented momentum now exists among the international health community to overcome the global impact of NTDs. quot 57 Predicted STH infections in Nigeria. Map courtesy of www.thiswormyworld.org Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammed Ali Pate, said the event was historic, stressing how NTDs constitute a serious impediment to the socio-economic development and quality of life of affected persons. quotNTDs are a major reason 5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa cannot escape poverty and this situation is unacceptable. quot 57Whilst Nigeria has the greatest number of intestinal helminth infections among all African nations and the greatest number of cases of schistosomiasis worldwide, it has made great strides in combating guinea worm disease and has recently endorsed WHO's African Programme for Onchocerciasis mandate to refocus on river blindness elimination. Speaking at the event WHO’s Dr Gama Vaz stressed how the lack of integration of neglected tropical programmes into the health system was a major obstacle to sustainability, adding that a sustainable, comprehensive package of interventions is required. The WHO’s Nigerian representative hoped that Nigeria's 5 year plan would serve as a blueprint for the scale-up of other national NTD control and elimination plans. Implementation of the master plan is expected to cost the country about $33 million over the next five years. Further resourcesDeworming informationNigeria NTD Master planNigeria NTD prevalence mapsLondon Declaration on NTDsWHO 2nd annual report on NTDsNews coverage on the launchVanguard 58 Nigeria takes a stand against Neglected Tropical Diseases

​ Today is World Day of Social Justice,a day which was first observed in 27 and supports efforts of the international community to work towards 58poverty eradication, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.In hisWorld Day of Social Justice message,United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said, quotGrowing inequality undermines the international community’s progress in lifting millions out of poverty and building a more just world. The fault lines are visible...inlimited access to education, health services and decent jobs. quot School health and nutrition programmes are amongst the most cost effective interventions that exist to improve both children’s education and health. According to the World Bank, they can add four to six points to IQ levels, ​% to participation in schooling, and one to two years of education. In recent years, the education sector has come to play an increasingly important role inhelping to prevent HIV, reduce stigma attached to the virus, and toprovide a social vacine. The sectoralso plays an important quot˜internal’ role in providing access to care, treatment and support for teachers and staff. The film and book, Courage and Hope shares the remarkable story of fourteachers living positively with HIV from across sub-Saharan.They share their experience of living with HIV telling ofhow they discovered their HIV status and how this has affected their lives with their families, their schools and their communities. Celebrating the day in 23 comes at a crucial political moment, reflecting the wide consensus on the need for a strong social dimension to globalizationwhich will helpachieve improved and fair outcomes for all.

School health and nutrition experts alongside officials from regional governments in Southeast Asia gathered between 3-2 February for the 2nd Annual eight-day training course focused on strengthening school-based health programmes in the region.Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Inlavanh, told the meeting participants 58 quotIt’s commonly said that healthy children will achieve good results in their studies and are more likely to succeed. quot 57 4 participants attended the course, including representatives of 58 World Food Programme, Save the Children, GIZ and Global Partnership for Education. Director of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research Prof. Sir Roy Anderson opened the event last week and keynote speeches weremade by Laos Vice-ministers of Education amp Health.Key topics of the course have includedparasite control (deworming​) and human resource management (teacher training). The course is due to end tomorrow, which will see delegates present country school health action plans to conclude the course.Read the original article from the Vientiane TimesRead more about the 23 Southeast Asia Course​

Last month, saw the launch of a new report, The Economic Case for Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Control and Elimination from the Hudson Institute and the Global Network for NTDs, which cites investment in NTDs is one of the quotbest buys quot 57 in public health and that focusing on NTDs offers a highly cost-effective intervention with far-reaching macroeconomic and equity benefits. Infecting more than one billion people globally, the seven major NTDs cause 58 blindness, disfigurement, anemia and cognitive impairment, and yet treatment which sees that pills are taken once or twice a year could see their control or even elimination achieved. With estimates as low as $.5 per person per year, the health and macroeconomic benefits to treating these debilitating diseases quickly outweigh this minimal investment. NTDs are not simply neglected in terms of awareness and resource allocation but also in the sense that they affect some of the most neglected communities on the planet – those at the end of the road, those for whom fresh water and hygiene are challenging and those whose access to the health care is limited. Over million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms. School-age children typically have the highest burden of worm infection of any age group with an estimated 4 million worldwide suffering from soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis. With simple, cost-effective interventions and robust empirical support, the case for controlling and eliminating NTDs is as much about enhancing equity and reducing vulnerability as it is about health. The findings of the new report lend added weight to a global effort currently underway to tackle the seven major preventable NTDs through drug donations and existing community-level health systems.Read the original article written by Professor Donald Bundy,from the World Bank Blog, Investing in Health.

Sexual and Reproductive Health Day is celebratedglobally, on or around Valentine's Day, February 4, encouraging peopleto consider the importance of sexual and reproductive health. Addressing key issuesThe day offers the opportunity to raise global awareness on key sexual health issues including 58 preventing unintended teenage pregnancy, preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), encouraging interventions to reduce the prevalence of female genital mutilation, AIDS risk reduction interventions and increasing HIV awareness, prevention and treatment. An opportunity for further HIV prevention and treatment measures According to the UNAIDS Report 22, around 34 million people around the world are currently living with HIV and 3.3 million of them are under the age of 5. Every day nearly 7 people contract HIV - nearly 3 every hour. (UNAIDS Report 22). The UNAIDS Report calls on the need for further HIV prevention services needed, which have been shown to be extremely effective in countries where there has been a concurrent scale up of HIV prevention and treatment programmes there has also been a drop in new HIV infections to record lows.How education plays a role Education can provide the social vaccine needed, offering a real chance at a productive life. Not only is education essential for preventing HIV, preventing HIV is essential for education. In 22, the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education (see leaflet) established a working group –known as the quot˜Accelerate Initiative Working Group’ –to support countries in sub-Saharan Africa as they quot˜accelerate the education sector response to HIV and AIDS’. The philosophy of the Accelerate Initiative is to promote bottom-up planning and activism, informed by regional and national, proven examples of good practice. More useful linksRead more on the importance of HIV Education and particularly how teachers can also share their knowledge and experience with school children to encourage HIV prevention. Current country HIV prevention programmes The HIV Bibliography The HIV Document Downloads Page

The World Health Organization has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Merck KGaA seeing that the pharmaceutical company increase its donation of praziquantel tablets from 2 million to 25 million annually. quotThis increase in donated praziquantel fills an important gap in supply to countries where it is needed and allows us to reach the targets set by previous World Health Assembly resolutions and as outline in WHO's 22 - 22 roadmap quot, said Dr Lorenzo Saviloli, Director of WHO's Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. This increase in tablets, used to treat Neglected Tropical Disease, schistosomiasis (also known as bilhazia) will allow implementation partners to coordinate scaling up of interventions for treatment to as many as million school-age children per year. Hygiene and recreational habits make children especially vulnerable to infection. The disease also affects populations engaged in agricultural activities and fishing. In children, schistosomiasis can cause anaemia, stunted growth and reduced ability to learn, although the effects are usually reversible with treatment. WHO's strategy for schistosomiasis control targets mainly school age children who are most vulnerable to infection, and aims to reduce morbidity through the regular treatment with praziquantel, through school based deworming as well ascommunity-based deworming programmes.

The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Patrice L. Engle Dissertation Grant is intended to provide support for students interested in a career in global early child development who are from or doing research in low- or middle-income countries. The grant, offers US $5,for students interested in global early child development to support dissertation researchwhich includeschildren, prenatal to years of age living in low- or middle- income countries, as defined by the World Bank. Please find a full list of potential topics whichcanbe coveredin the Grant Applicationdetails.This also lists details on how to apply, eligibility andgeneralinformation. About Patrice EnglePatrice L. Engle, Ph.D. (944-22) was a pioneer and leader in global early child development who launched a highly productive career to ensure that children throughout the world received the health care, nutrition, nurturance, and early learning opportunities they needed to be successful. The best legacy to Pat is to ensure that junior scholars are well trained in the science-to-policy model that guided her work in global early child development.

On Wednesday 3th January the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR) was officiallylaunched, markingthe one yearanniversaryofcommitments made tothe London Declarationon Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2 attendees at the Centre’s formal opening heard fromspeakers including Baroness Hayman, former House of Lord’s speaker and member of the Labour Party, quotThe real strength of last year’s agreement was seen in the partnership formed by pharmaceutical companies, academia and governments. This Centre confirms their continued desire to want to work together, quot 57 said the Baroness. The London Declaration was initially signed at a meeting organised by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in London a year ago where 3 pharmaceutical companies, four governments, and a host of international organisations including the World Health Organization(WHO) and World Bank joined forces to announce their commitments to improve the lives of more than one billion people around the world affected by NTDs. TheLondon Centre seeks to sustain and coordinate the investment and commitments made at the Gates Meeting. Primarily it will undertake cutting-edge research to build the evidence base around the control, mapping and diagnosis of NTDs and will utilize and coordinate the abundance of London’s NTD expertise and research bringing together leading experts to tackle these diseases. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) devastate the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, those who themselves are neglected people, NTDs cause severe disability, stigma, billions of dollars of lost productivity and even death. Speakers at the launch Other speakers marked the Centre’s formal opening included 58 Dr. Andy Wright – Director of Disease Programmes, Global Community Partnerships at global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKlineProfessor Don Bundy - Lead Health and Education Specialist, the Human Development Network, theWorld Bank (address givenvia video link) Dr. Lorenzo Savioli – Director of the Department of Control of NTDs at the WHOConcluding remarks weremade by Professor Sir Roy Anderson - the LCNTDR’s Director. Presentations Chaired by the Centre’s Deputy Directors, Dr Lesley Drake and Professor Simon Brooker, presentations were also given on the night covering the following topics 58 The Launch of the London Centre - Aims and Objectives Guiding Control - Spatial Epidemiology of NTDsSchistosomiasis Elimination - Challenges and OpportunitiesHow school based deworming programmes impact on community wide transmission of soil transmitted helminths About the Centre The centre is a joint initiative of Imperial College London, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)and the Natural History Museum(NHM). As an umbrella structure the Centre will provide research support for staff at Imperial College London, the LSHTM, andthe NHMas well as other London universities with interests in NTDs, and for the existing implementation of government-led control programmes and technical assistance groups at Imperial College, namely the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative.

The Global Atlas of Helminth Infections (GAHI) has recently re-launched its website thiswormyworld. In addition to continuing to host valuable maps and data on worm distribution, the revised website now also features 58 a blog, news, and a dynamic repository of resources. Visitors to thiswormyworld.org will now be able to read about the GAHI team’s activities and first hand experiences in the field through a new blog, starting with a welcome post from Dr. Simon Brooker, GAHI’s co-founder. Members of partner organisations will also contribute, making the website a new platform to share ideas and hear what NTD experts have to say. The news section will disseminate important developments in the larger mapping and deworming communities, andthe resources page now offers a growing number of relevant papers, online resources and publications. The GAHI team always welcomes others’ input and contributions, so if you’d like to propose a blog post, ask questions, provide feedback or contribute data, please e-mail nina.cromeyer-dieke@lshtm.ac.uk. Partners supporting the GAHI website include 58 the Wellcome Trust, Mectizan Donation Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline, the Partnership for Child Development, and the World Health Organization.

​October was World Food Day, a day which aims to heighten public awareness of world food problems and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty. quotAcross the developing world, million primary school-age childrengo to school hungry, 23 million of these children live in Africa alone. out of 4 children – roughly 4 million – in developing countries is underweight. quotWithout adequate food and nutrition it is far more difficult for a child to learn. It is a crucial factor for learning and education.Disadvantaged children –the poor, the marginalized, girls, children in fragile states– often suffer the most from ill health and malnutrition and therefore benefit most from school health programmes and school feeding.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 can also contribute to enhancing a child's nutrition. Reducing malnutrition is a cornerstone of poverty reduction. Deficiencies such as Iron Deficiency, Iodine deficiency, and Vitamin A. Thesedeficienciesnegatively impact on children’s physical growth and mental development leading to stunting, poor cognitive function and poor school performance.Improving Food Security amp Eradicating Hunger through HGSF The theme for World Food Day 22 is 'Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world', which seeks to highlight the role of cooperatives in improving food security and contributing to the eradication of hunger. In an effort to improve child nutrition, food security and local farmer income, the Partnership for Child Development launched a new project that supports government action to deliver cost effective school feeding programmes in sub-Saharan Africa called Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF).This project promotes local agriculture and benefit rural farmers by using locally-sourced food, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers, the majority of whom are women who deliver food to be used in school feeding programmes, so at the same time this improves the education, health, and nutrition of children. HGSF not only creates jobs and profits for smallholder farmers, but adheres to the theme of this years World Food Day increasingsustainable livelihoods for thoseinvolved in the transportation, processing, and preparation of food along the school feeding supply chain.For more information visit the website of Home Grown School Feeding and watch the Introduction to HGSF Video.And see specific pages explaining the interconnected nature of the initiative on 58 Sourcing from local farmersSchool Feeding Supply Chain School Health and Nutrition.​

In celebration of its 2th anniversary this year, the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) held an event last week gathering UK parliamentarians, CEOs of pharmaceutical companies, and school health and nutrition (SHN) experts to reflect on its successes over the past two decades and to take a glimpse at future directions. At the event, former President of Ghana and World Food Prize Laureate H.E. John Kufuor addressed attendees via video link 58 quotPCD is doing work that is so important I believe, in all communities, and is good for humanity quot¦so children are given a chance into adulthood, to be productive in their communities. quot 57 The 2th anniversary offers a chance to look at the work of PCD since its conception in the 99s, a decade where the focus between education and health expanded from child mortality prevention to include the longer term development of the child. PCD was createdas a result of a meeting held at the Rockefeller International Centre in Bellagio, Italy where variousorganisations including 58 the World Health Organization, theUnited Nations Children’s Fund, theWorld Bankand the Wellcome Trustconvened to discuss the need for an institutional structure which could build the evidence base on linking education and health. Based in the world class School of Public Health at Imperial College London has sharpened PCD’s scientific edge over the past twenty years. Its success has built on rigorous scientific evaluation of the impact of school-based interventions on children’s health, nutrition, and education. PCD’s portfolio has also expandedin morerecentyearsto work in partnership with country governments to see the successful implementation of SHN programme interventions. This work focuses on 58 policy development, programme design and evaluation, and technical supportforgovernment-led national programmes. PCD currently works in partnership with 5 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, theMiddle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. During his speech at theanniversary celebrations, H.E. Kufuor highlighted the importance of providing freeschool meals sourced from local farmers, an initiative known as Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF), which PCD have been supporting insub-Saharan Africa (SSA)since 2. Speaking on Ghana'sHGSF programme, which was executed during his presidency he said, quotWe wanted to create a cycle quot¦so we said we should make school feeding home based, to use food stuffs..indigenous to the community but prepared under the guidance of the dieticians, so that nutrition crucial for proper body development would be captured. quot 57 HGSF programmes are a win-win for bothsmallholder farmers and children improving child nutritionandlocal livelihoods at the same time.Since2,PCD has been at the forefrontin providing tailored programmatic and technical support for HGSF programmes in SSA at the request of country governments which have included 58 Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopiaand morerecently Osun State Nigeria. Over the last year, PCD and John A Kufuor Foundation have also begun to work together to further build on the leadership capacity of African governments for the initiative. Twenty years ago, health and nutrition interventions targeted at school-age children were few and far between. Today, they are recognised as global standard practice for the achievement of Education for All and the world'sMillennium Development Goalson health and education. In addition to the HGSF initiative, other keyareas of PCD’s workextends to improving 58 Child Vision,HIV Education,Deworming,andWater, Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) throughthe school system. Over the past twenty yearsfocusing onthese areas has seen a number of key accomplishments 58 In 993 PCD provided input into the st edition of Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries.In 997 PCD published Better Health, Nutrition and Education for the School-Aged Child. In 2 PCD and partners developed the Ed-SIDA model which is now routinely used to analyse the global impact of HIV and AIDS on the education system.In 22 the Accelerate Initiative was launched by the Working Group of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education which PCD was a member of. In 25 the annual training course, Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition amp HIV Prevention Programmes, was held for the first time by PCD with partner support in Kenya. In 28 PCD began supporting research into the concept of self-refractionthrough adjustable spectacles. In 2 7 million children ofschool age weretreated for parasitic worms by the Government of Bihar with technical assistance provided from PCD andDeworm the world.In 22 the training course, Strengthening Contemporary School Health and Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes in Southeast Asia, was held for the first time in Bangkok, Thailand. In 22 PCD became a founding member of the LondonCentre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research anda founding member of the UK Coalition against Neglected Tropical Diseases. Key Documents Released for its 2th anniversary PCD have put together a documentwhich gives more detail on its SHN interventionsover the past two decades,downloadPCD's 2th Anniversary Document. And for an up-to-date overview of activities carried out more recently,download the newly publishedPCD Annual Report 2 - 22.

3rd December saw the celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, themed, Removingbarriers to create an inclusive and accessible education for all. Over one billion people, or approximately 5% of the world’s population, live with some form of disability. Persons with disabilities, quotthe world’s largest minority quot 57, often face barriers to participation in all aspects of society. The impact of disability on children in low and middle income countriesIn low and middle income countries disabled children are three times more like to be denied healthcare and children with disabilities are less likely to start or stay in school than other children. The most common and powerful barriers for children with disabilitiesgaining access to educationinclude 58 stigma, discrimination, inaccessible transport, unprepared classrooms and teachers. Despite a robust disability rights movement and a shift towards inclusion inlow and middle incomecountries,people with disabilitiesremain second-class citizens. Misunderstanding and fear ofpersons with disabilities result in their marginalization within the family, community, at school, and in the wider society. Evidence and experience shows that when barriers to their inclusion are removed and persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully in societal life, their entire community benefits. For countries to achieve Education for All and to meet the Millennium Development Goal of universal completion of primary education, access to education mustcater forall children including those with disabilities. Taking Action From the day's theme,sub-themes can be selected to cover all aspects of society and development. Inclusion 58 Observance of the Day provides opportunities for participation by all stakeholders – Governments, the UN system, civil society and organisations of children with disabilities – to focus on issues related to the removal of barriers to create an inclusive and accessible education to benefit all school age children. Organise 58 To hold forums, public discussions and information campaigns in support to find innovative ways and means by which barriers to the inclusion ofpeople with disabilities can be broken down. Celebrate 58 Plan and organize performances everywhere to showcase - and celebrate - the contributions made bypersons with disabilities as agents of change and development in the communities in which they live. Take Action 58 A major focus of the Day is practical action that would help to remove barriers that limit accessibility for and participation bypersons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development. Highlight progress and obstacles in creating accessible and inclusive education, including in terms of physical environments, information and communications technology and other areas, as well as promote public awareness of existing barriers to the full inclusion of children with disabilities in their societies. Useful links Including children with disabilities 58 challenges and responses in school health and nutrition programmes Prince Harry visits Rio quotEverybody's School quot supported by the Partnership for Child Development Resources Global Report on Disability Promoting Quality Education for Orphans and Vulnerable ChildrenVision and hearing screening in schools

Kenya is the fifth most endemic country for schistosomiasis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) information, more than million Kenyans, most of them children, require appropriate treatment. Last week WHO and Merck Serono officially started the distribution of praziquantel at a school located 8 km northeast of Nairobi, which has seen the millionth praziquantel tablet donated from the pharmaceutical company. Merck Serono and WHO staff participated in a ceremony where Kenyan health officials gave schistosomiasis treatment to children attending Mouku Primary School in Kirinyaga. Depending on their height, children receive between one and five praziquantel tablets. In order to effectively fight the disease, treatment must be repeated several times at yearly intervals. The Permanent Secretary of the Kenyan Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Mark Bor, also welcomed the commitment which he said, quotnot only helps infected children, but also strengthens our public health care system. That is because untreated patients often suffer from serious health consequences which cause a great deal of unnecessary suffering and lead to high costs. quot Schistosomiasis - the second-most prevalent tropical diseaseSchistosomiasis is the second-most prevalent tropical disease in Africa after malaria. It is estimated that more than 2 million people are infected and that around 2, die from it in Africa each year. The chronic, parasitic disease is transmitted by flatworms and is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions where poor populations have no access to clean water and sanitary installations. People become infected with the disease by worm larvae mainly in freshwater, such as while working, swimming, fishing or washing their clothes. The miniscule larvae penetrate human skin, mature in the liver and enter the blood vessels. Eggs laid by female adult worms are trapped in tissues and internal organs where they provoke immune reactions that cause damage and disease. Praziquantel is the only active ingredient with which all forms of schistosomiasis can be treated. Since praziquantel is also well-tolerated, it is also on the WHO list of essential drugs. The Millionth Tablet quotThe millionth tablet represents a milestone in our donation programme in cooperation with WHO, quot said Stefan Oschmann, Chief Executive Officer of Merck Serono and Member of the Executive Board of Merck quot¦ quotSince Merck Serono began supporting WHO in the fight against this tropical disease five years ago, more than 28 million children have been treated in African countries. Yet we are only at the beginning of a long journey that will not end until this insidious disease has been eliminated. quot To date, Merck Serono has been providing WHO annually and free of charge with up to 25 million tablets containing the active ingredient praziquantel. quotIn the medium term, Merck Serono will increase that number tenfold to 25 million per year. Kenya will also benefit from this, quot Oschmann added. The Merck Praziquantel Donation Programme was launched in 27 in partnership with WHO. Merck Serono provides the tablets to WHO and covers the logistic costs of transport to Africa. WHO steers, monitors and documents the distribution of the tablets. The significant increase in the number of tablets from 25 million per year at present to 25 million in the medium term will enable the treatment of around million children per year. Read morenews coverageon the donation programme 58 Science 2, Merck Serono Donates Millionth Tablet For Schistosomiasis TreatmentAll Africa, Merck Donates Millionth Tablet to Treat Schistosomiasis - Large-scale schistosomiasis treatment begins in KenyaNigeria Guardian, Merck donates 23 million tablets of drug to fight schistomiasis AfriqueJet Actualité Afrique, Health 58 German drugs firm donates millionth tablet to treat Schistosomiasis Zenopa, Merck Serono donates millionth schistosomiasis tablet

The need to put poor people firstin the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)was a key messagefrom World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim at aNTDs Conference held in Washington last week. quotProtecting poor people from preventable diseases that cause acute suffering remains at the heart of our mission to end poverty and boost shared prosperity, quot said the World Bank President. The conference, co-hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank, welcomed over 4 experts who had gathered to operationalise commitments initially made at the Gates hosted meeting in London earlier this year. Committingto the London Declaration on NTDs At the London meeting, pharmaceutical companies, four governments and a host of international organisations including the Gates Foundation, World Health Organization(WHO), the World Bank and numerous civil society organizations, united behind a common vision to control or eliminate the seven major preventable NTDs in endemic countries. Affirming this union, pledges were made to the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseasesto seenew collaborative efforts and tracking of progress,including the provision of 5.5 billion treatments for STH and schistosomiasis - NTDs which particularly impact on child health. Acoordinated approach Jim Yong Kimstressed the need for coordination to strengthen community health systems in the endemic countries through national health strategies that aim to reach every citizen with good quality health provision. quotWe can bring about great change by working together efficiently quothe said. Using the example ofthe significantstrides made infighting NTD, River Blindness he said, uniting quotin a coordinated way saves lives and money, and requires expanding lessons that we have learned from our efforts to eliminate river blindness quot”first, a simple community health system approach, and second, partnerships with pharmaceutical companies for free supply of drugs. quot 57 Yong Kim reflected that the fight against the disease -which is transmitted through flies that breed in river water, was alsowhere effortsto control and eliminate the other mainNTDs began. This fight, he described as a true success story was supported by many organizations and partners, including the WHOand the World Bank. quotToday, over 8 million people a year in Africa regularly receive drugs...Protection against disease is not just an investment in health, but an investment in the economy. quot As river blindness has been controlled in large parts of West Africa, families have been able to return to 25 million hectares of arable land, with the capacity to grow enough crops to feed 7 million people. Closing his speech, Yong Kim emphasised the World Bank’s support of coordination, quotI believe that this conference on the preventable neglected tropical diseases will translate this conviction into results for the neglected people in this world. quot 57 Strengthening a school-based approach to prevention and treatment At the conference thePartnership for Child Developmentco-organised a side meeting titled, Strengthening a School-Based Approach to Treatment and Prevention 58 A meeting of partners for STH and Schistosomiasis control. Complimenting the wider aims of the conference the side eventreinforced the need for enhanced collaboration,and joined together over 4 organisations representing donors, technical partners, academia, government, pharmaceutical and health and education sectors. Attendees were updated on the current status of control interventions beforediscussion ensued on what is needed for more effective collaboration in school-based deliveryfor scaled up STH and schistosomiasis control programmes. Speakers at the side eventincluded (among others) 58 Dr Lesley Drake -Executive Director of PCDProfessor Sir Roy Anderson -Director of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research Professor Donald Bundy -Lead Specialist in School Health and Nutrition, World BankPeter Hotez -President of the Sabin Vaccine InstituteDr Dirk Engels -Coordinator of the Preventive Chemotherapy amp Transmission Control, World Health Organization. Relevant articles Read more from 58World Bank article World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Opening Remarks at Neglected Tropical Diseases Conference, Washington DC Huffington Post article Big problems? Think big solutionsRead the London Declaration on NTDsRead about the Gates hosted event in January Taking the Neglected out of Neglected Tropical Diseases. Key resources Read more on the importance of DewormingAccess the Worm Documents Download

On October 3, practitioners, academics and those affected by HIV/AIDS alongside over fifty members of the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development, met to discuss current research and programming on Psychosocial Support Services (PSS) in relation to HIV. Increasing social protection measures - an essential component of PSS In the opening session of the day’s event, Dr. Lucie Cluver of Oxford University argued that increased social protection measures, including the provision of free school meals, are of utmost importance for vulnerable children - those infected or affected by HIV. Dr. Cluver's presentation looked into two studiesthe first anorphan resilience study andthe second, anational young carer’s study, which have been carried out over the past seven years in South Africa, surveying approximately 8 children. The event was co-organised by the Consortium’s Care and Support Working Group and the Children Affected by AIDS (CABA) Working Group - which is supported by the Partnership for Child Development. The surveys found that children orphaned by AIDS suffer increased levels of depression, post-traumatic stress, peer problems and delinquency. They also have higher anxiety scores. Children who are carers of parents with AIDS also suffer similar levels of anxiety and depression. Child carers often miss school (to look after their parent), and are more likely to have poor concentration in class andto go to school hungry. Child abuse is also common when parents suffer with AIDS with an increase in physical, emotional and domestic violence often found. Dr. Cluver also emphasised how child focused grants, could also result in decreased vulnerability and lessen the prevalence of transactional sex in girls, and specifically, with the support of free schooling boys could obtain better school results. Event topics Throughout the day contemporary research and programming on psychosocial support services (PSS) in relation to HIV and AIDS was examined with discussion from the UK Consortium members focused around good practice. The event demonstrated that PSSare an essential component of any HIV programme. Attendees heard people living with HIV share their experiences, practical ways to provide evidenced-based interventions presented by academics and practitioners,and thegeneralmeaning ofwhat PSS signified to participants ingrained in discussionthroughout the day. The need for PSS to be person-centred was noted. PSS should take a holistic approach and ensure active participation of patients in their own care. PSS should result in a person living with HIV feeling happy, reassured, to have an understanding of HIV terminology and above all be hopeful for the future.Topics covered throughout the day included 58 facilitating resilience of HIV-affected children and youth through social environments psychological support and child protection training and delivering high quality care in sub-Saharan Africa. Further reading Hope and Happiness 58 The Success of Psychosocial Support(the Consortium's article on the dayevent)Afull reportofthe topics covered in depthfrom thedayFind a suggested reading list on PSS and related documents from the UK ConsortiumAnd access Schools amp HealthDocument Downloads on HIV

The launch of a massive school-based deworming programme, targeting million children from 9, government schools and 7, community health centres was launched earlier last month in the West Indian state of Rajasthan. On October 5 and October 8, Rajasthan becamepart ofthe fight to keep India’s children healthy the goal was to give each child a deworming tablet which costs just pennies to administer. Deworming treatment reduces the risk of parasitic worm infections which lead to anaemia and malnutrition, and which makes children both more susceptible to serious illness and more likely to miss or drop out of school. The Rajasthan state has a high prevalence of anaemia as well as a significant percentage of children, especially among the poor, who are stunted and underweight due to malnutrition, therefore prioritizing deworming as a major need has been an essential step in improving child health.Administered well, deworming programmes have been shown to be highly effective in improving children’s health as well as their educational outcomes. With a long term commitment to the programme, Rajasthan is likely to see improved child health, reduced child mortality, elevated educational levels and, in the longer term, improved lifetime earnings for the children who are successfully treated.Deworming in Bihar and Delhi The large scale deworming effort in Rajasthan, with the initial launch and mop on carried out on the twoseparate days builds on experiences and lessons learned from previous deworming campaigns carried out in the two Indian states of Bihar and Delhi. This school based deworming in Bihar, Delhi and Rajasthan are efforts of collaboration between theorganisation,Deworm the World and the Government of India.Looking toward the future Since repeated treatments are required to ensure that parasitic worms don’t return – twice a year in high prevalence areas and once in others – institutionalizing the programmes is a critical public health need. The deworming effort is a major milestone. It will almost certainly have an immediate effect on children’s health, but to fully capitalize on the opportunity, the state must take the steps to mature the programme and run it on its own. Original article adapted from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, by Urvashi Prasad. Find out more on the Impact of Parasitic Worm Infection on Child Health on the Worms Page. Read more on Why Deworm in Schools. Access relevant documents on the Worm Document Downloads.

Efforts to tackle the silent emergency of acute and chronic malnutrition in Africa will receive additional traction this week when the African Union and partners join forces in Addis Ababa to celebrate the Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security. The high-level event on 3 October which will be opened by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, focuses on quotensuring access to safe and nutritious food. quot 57 It calls upon governments, civil society, donors and other partners to prioritize food and nutrition security in all development planning and financing. The Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security which was adopted by the 5th African Union Summit in Kampala in 2 will be celebrated for the third time, both at the continental level in Addis Ababa and at the national level throughout Africa. TheImpact of Malnutrition on Child Health and Child Development Malnutrition has dramatic consequences 58 more than one million children under five die every year in sub-Saharan Africa, with malnutrition being the direct or indirect cause. Recognizing the key role that adequate nutrition plays in Africa’s social and economic development, partners at the regional and global level are gearing up their support for comprehensive interventions in food and nutrition security. quotStunting and other forms of malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies, during the first two years of life cause irreparable harm to children’s opportunities in life. These conditions impede their physical growth and lead to irreversible cognitive damage, hampering their learning abilities. quot said Elhadj As Sy, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. quotStunted girls are more likely to have small and low birth weight babies. All of this has a tremendous negative impact on the economic growth of countries. Investing in children’s and women’s nutrition is therefore not only the right thing to do, it is also a cost-effective investment in the development of African nations. quot 57 The day aims tocreate awareness that addressing malnutrition can accelerate economic growth and pull millions of people out of poverty. It has been estimated that investing in nutrition can increase a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by at least 2-3 per cent annually. The Launch of the Africa Nutrition Security Partnership To help fight malnutrition, the European Union and UNICEF have launched the Africa Nutrition Security Partnership. The initiative is co-financed by the European Union through a grant of €5million and supports four African countries that bear a heavy burden of child malnutrition – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali and Uganda – until 25. quotMalnutrition kills, and for those who survive, it can have irreversible consequences. Malnutrition also undermines development efforts and growth at all levels. We know that women are at the crux of agriculture, food and nutrition security in their roles as farmers, providers of food and mothers. This is why the food assistance, food security and gender policies we adopted address nutrition as a core objective in key sectors like agriculture, food security, health and water, quot said Gary Quince, Head of Delegation and Special Representative of the EU to the African Union. School Feeding Using Locally Sourced Produce - a win-win for both farmers and school children Initiatives such as Home Grown School Feeding can bridge the gap in child malnutrition. Appropriately designed school feeding programmes have been shown to increase access to education and learning, and improve children’s health and nutrition, especially when integrated into comprehensive school health and nutrition (SHN) programmes.And furthermore, school feeding programmes which use locally grown produce also provide an opportunity to benefit local farmers, producers and processors by generating a stable, structured, and predictable demand for their products, thereby building the market and benefiting the wider local economy. Original article adapted from Standard Media.

Brazzaville, Congo 58 25 October 22 – As the Sahel food crisis persists, compounded by recent flooding in the region, the World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to health and development partners to support affected countries prioritize deworming activities as part of urgent relief efforts. Dr Luis Gomes Sambo quotFlooding now being experienced in parts of the Sahel, creates the ideal breeding ground for contracting Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) such as bilharzia, and worm-like diseases putting more at risk of malnutrition, quot 57 says WHO African Regional Director Dr Luis Gomes Sambo. quotHumanitarian actors should come out in full force and support de-worming activities in affected countries as malnourished children and adults are very susceptible to contracting these NTDs, transmitted via contaminated water, soil and parasites. Prolonged drought and internal conflict have caused critical hunger in the Sahel region of West Africa which spans Senegal, Mauritania , Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Nearly 9 million people are food insecure and more than one million children under the age five years are severely malnourished. Low quality drinking water supply and inadequate latrine coverage combined with flooding in the affected countries increases the risk of NTDs such as bilharzia (Schistosomiasis) and roundworms, hookworms and whipworms (Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases). Within this crisis school-aged children are the most at risk, suffering from the highest burdens of parasitic NTDs infections and malnutrition. Integrating school health and nutrition programmes which encompass school feeding, WASH, and deworming activities are highly effective in supporting at risk children.In itself, school-based deworming - costing less than 5 cents to treat a person for a year, is one of the safest and most cost-effective measures that can be taken now to save lives and stem a worsening nutritional crisis. Implementing deworming interventions will ensure that food aid provided, through interventions such as school feeding will nourish people rather than worms. Further InformationThiswormyworld.org - Open source worm prevalence maps for Africa, Asia, and South America. Downloadable maps showing where the worms are, the predictive risk and control planning measures required. SenegalMauritaniaMaliBurkina Faso Niger Deworming documents and resource centre on schoolsandhealth.org 58 Country Programmes on Deworming Articles in the Worm Bibliography Worm Document Downloads Why Deworm in SchoolsWHO's NTD website

World Sight Day, which takes place on th October each year is an annual dayof awareness to focus global attention on blindness, visual impairment amp rehabilitation of the visually impaired. Improving Child Vision is essential for child development especially concerning a child's performance in school, absenteeism amp drop out. 8 million children are estimated to benefit from vision correction in low income countries. The majority of these children do not have access to affordable eye examination or a pair of glasses. Child Vision Resources amp ArticlesFind out more on the work achieved on Technologies to help children see clearly in the developing world amp specifically, Improving Child Vision in Cambodia. And read the report The 2nd Oxford Conference on Vision for Children in the Developing World.All partners concerned with preventing visual impairment or restoring sight are involved in World Sight Day, which has become a key event for the prevention of blindness and Vision 22 - a global effort to prevent blindness.

Saving Millions of Livesby Teaching a Good Practice Global Handwashing Day, held onOctober 5 eachyear wasoriginally created for children and schools. The dayfocuses on childrenwho suffer disproportionately from diarrheal disease and acute respiratory infections, which are directly associated with poor sanitation andhygiene practices. Research also shows children can be powerful agents for changing behaviours such as handwashing with soap in communities. Handwashing with soap is the most effective way to prevent diarrheal disease and acute respiratory infections, however, washing hands with soap is seldom practiced. Millions of children die from these diseases and infection in low and middle income countries, which combined together, are responsible for the majority of all child deaths. Turning handwashing with soap before eating and after using the toilet into an ingrained habit could save more lives than any single vaccine or medical intervention. Water and Sanitation Related Resources For more information access Document Downloads on Water and Sanitation. Find out more about why combating Acute Respiratory Infection and Promoting Access and Messages of Good Sanitation is so important.

The largest ever exercise to detect deficiency, disease and disability among school children in India will soon be undertaken, covering 22 million children. The initial health screening of the programmecarried out by the Union health ministrywill target children aged six-8 years in ,, government-runschools across a total of5 states. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azadspoke on howthe programmes, quotwill protect and promote the health of human capital from the beginning. It is universally known that healthy students are more receptive to education, which naturally, influences their scholastic attainment. Around 5 states have positioned dedicated teams for SHP. quot The School Health Programmes (SHP) will undertake biannual health service provision through screening, healthcare and referral to look for anaemia and assess the nutritional status of children,in addition totesting their visual acuity and hearing skills. Dental check-up, common skin diseases, heart defects, physical disabilities, learning disorders and behavioural problems will also be amongthe programmes' priority. The Union has recently set aside the necessary funds for 22-3 and2,44 dedicated teams will be put in place at block levels to conduct theinitiative under theremit of the flagship of the National Rural Health Mission. Basic medicine kits to take care of common ailments prevalent among young school-going children and referral for service connectivity from primary till super-specialist health facilities will be undertaken. The supplementation of essential micronutrients (Vitamin A and IFA) management, weekly supervised indigestion of iron folate tablets,and deworming will also be conducted. Nabi Azadadded, quotWe want to conduct universal screening of population. Early detection is of prime importance in case of disability or disease. quot The ministry expects the programme to take off from January across all the 5 states. Within the government-aided schools supportive infrastructure will be put in place.Health clubs and health cabinets will be introduced. First aid rooms, corners and clinics with support from educational departments and trained staff will be established.Lastly, physical education and activities will be popularized. Read the original article, fromThe Times of India.

The launch of the Education First Initiative, aimed at asserted new commitments towards the Millennium Development Goals on Education, secured over US$.5 billionto see thatit is made a top global priority over the next three years. Speaking at the launch last Wednesday 2th September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, quotOur shared goals are simple. We want children to attend primary school and to progress toward higher education that will help them to succeed in life. quot 57 The Current SituationAt the end of the 99s, 8 million children of primary school age were not enrolled in schools. That number has fallen to million today, according to UNESCO’s forthcoming Global Monitoring Report. The gap between boy and girl enrolment has also been greatly reduced. These are obviouslysignificant achievements, largely due to national and international resolve to act on shared goals for education. Despite these positive developments, in recent years there has been growing concern that progress has begun to slow down, which has also been indicated by recent statistics. Calculations have estimated that an additional $24 billion is needed annually to cover the shortfall for children out of primary and lower secondary school. With the launch of this global partnership, Education First seeks to make a breakthrough to mobilize all partners - both traditional and new to achieve universal primary education ahead of the 25 target date for the MDGs. Commitments made at the launch Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Timor-Leste and Denmark were among countries that pledged to intensify their support to the new global partnership called quot˜Education First.’ In addition,the private sectormobilized over US$.5 billion in new financing to ensure all children and young people have quality, relevant and transformative education. In the next five years,the initiativewill focus on three priorities 58 putting every child in school, improving the quality of learning and fostering global citizenship. quotWe must not deny the promise of quality education to any child. The stakes are too high. When we put education first, we can end wasted potential – and foresee stronger and better societies for all, quot 57 Secretary-General BAN said. Education First was launched on the margins of the 7th Session of the UN General Assembly. Participants included Heads of State and Ministers from countries, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, heads of UN agencies, young people, civil society representatives and a number ofChief Executive of the private sector Read more on the Education First Initiative.Read more in a copy of the initiative's report, Education First - an initiative of the United Nations Secretary General.Watch the launchagain on the UN Webcast.

Today, theUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's newEducation First Initiative will be launched, uniting the agencies and programmes of the UN system, governments, business leaders and civil society in a concerted effort to put education on the top of the global agenda ahead of the 25 Millennium Development Goals deadline. The high-levellaunch where major new commitments forthe initiativewill be announced will seeBan Ki-moon joined at UN HQ in New York by several Heads of State, business and civil society leaders and UN officials, including 58 Gordon Brown, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Global Education and former prime minister of the UK, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Prime Minister Julia Gillard of Australia, Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank, and Anthony Lake Executive Director of UNICEF among others.In a panel discussion following on from the high-level launch focus will be drawn to Education First’s three priority areas – to get children into school, to make sure they learn, and that what they learn is relevant for addressing today’s global challenges – and ways to help shape the evolving discourse on education in the post-25 development agenda.In the year 2, 89 of the world’s nations pledged to achieve universal primary education by 25. It was the second of eight Millennium Development Goals aimed at freeing people from poverty and deprivations.Significant progress has been made towards achieving these goals, yet much more remains to be done, latest statistics have begun to showthere hasbeen a slowing downinreaching the goals. Without a major effort, a danger now remains that there will be more children out-of-school in 25 than today.The Education First Initiative aims to galvanize governments and all other sectors of society into action on education, to get all children into school, to make sure they learn, and that what they learn is relevant for addressing today’s global challenges. Read more on the Education First Initiative. Read more on the launch of the initiative. The event will be webcast livefrom .5pm BST.

In line with the new global momentum towards the control, elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), Zimbabwe launched a mass drug administration against schistosomiasis (bilharzia) and soil transmitted helminthes (intestinal worms) at a function held at Wedza High School. The mass drug administration is the final phase of a process which started with a national prevalence survey in 2, and the development of the master plan that began in 2 and completed in 22. The National Prevalence Survey of 2 showed that Mashonaland East Province, under which Wedza district falls was one of the highly affected. The mass drug administration will therefore target people, mainly under the age of 5, and will be delivered through the country ’ s network of schools and health facilities in the high burden districts. The mass drug administration was made possible by WHO which donated to the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare Praziquantel (PZQ) used in the treatment of bilharzia, and Albendazole (ALB) for intestinal worms. A total of 2 583 PZQ tablets (mg), and 2 45 2 ALB tablets (4mg) were donated. These drugs are expected to cover 3 794 38 people mainly under the age of 5 in the high burden districts. Speaking at the launch on behalf of the WHO Representative a.i. Dr Stanley Midzi said WHO has been working with member states in the African Region (AFRO) to carry out mapping exercises on the burden of NTDs, develop plans, and mobilize resources and donate drugs for selected priority NTDs including schistosomiasis and intestinal worms. quot In Zimbabwe, WHO has supported all these processes beginning with the national prevalence survey in 2, followed by the development of the master plan and subsequently the donation of drugs against schistosomiasis and intestinal worms in 22, quot 57 said Dr Midzi. He also acknowledged that the school system is a critical vehicle for the implementation of a mass drug administration campaign such as this. The same sentiments were shared by the UNICEF representative who said school children are the most vulnerable to bilharzia and intestinal worms, and at the same time are effective educators of their families and communities on health issues. quotSchool children are therefore pivotal in such a public health program, quot 57 she said. The Deputy Minister of Education, Arts, Sports and Culture, Dr Dokora acknowledged the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in treating bilharzia and intestinal worms in school children. He said that health and education are intrinsically linked because without health, education will not take place, and without education, health will not be achieved. He also said the joint leadership of the mass drug administration campaign by the Ministries of health and education will be a critical success factor for the exercise in all high burden districts. Drug administration kicked off at the launch and some students from Gumbonzvanda primary school were the first ones to receive the drugs. Teams are on the ground from 7 quot”2 Sept. moving around schools and health centers in the high burden districts administering drugs to all eligible children. Read the original article from the World Health Organization. Read more on the importance of Deworming.

​​​​ An operational study was recently carried out in Cambodia to explore how ready-made spectacles (or self-adjustable specs) can be provided as part of existing health screening and referral programmes.In collaboration with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Imperial College London's Partnership for Child Development (PCD) brought together the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the World Bank, and Sightsavers to develop the initial operational study which ran from May to June 22. Child vision often results in reduced participation in education leading to increased absenteeism, increased dropout rates, reduced ability to learn and poorer career prospects.The initial target for the project to screen , children from an estimated enrolment of 2, children aged -5 years in 5 schools across Siem Reap and Chi Kreng districts was exceeded with 3,75 screened over the four week period. As expected most children had vision within the normal range (99%) with the most common cause of vision impairment being uncorrected refractive error. ​The Cambodia programme was carried out in close collaboration with the Cambodian Ministry of Education amp Training and the Ministry of Planning and was informed by an international technical advisory group comprising eye health specialists, school health programme implementers and the IAPB.​ Partners hope to use the results of this pilot study to inform a wider eye health implementation programme in five or six other countries with a specific focus on the use of schools as a point-of-entry to the community. If appropriate versions are available, adjustable spectacles will be included in these studies to assess their potential role in improving access to eye care in resource-poor settings. PCD and IAPB were originally positioned to bring together the organisations at the 2nd Oxford Conference on Vision for Children in the Developing World held in April 2. Since 27 PCD has supported research into 'self-refraction’, the process of users setting their own prescription through innovative adjustable spectacles as a model to provide spectacles for children through schools. ​Click to read more on Child Vision​

Over 3 million preschool and school age children aretreated annually by Food for the Hungry's programmes in Burundi, Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that at least 4 million children worldwide suffer from intestinal worms. The results include stunted growth, acute abdominal pain, lethargy and an inability to concentrate. Intestinal worms or soil-transmitted helminthes plague many developing countries. They enter the body when children walk barefoot and avoid washing hands before cooking or eating. Water-borne parasites enter the body through contaminated water during bathing, drinking or washing food. Worldwide, intestinal worms hijack about 25 percent of the nutrition children consume. Over 3 million school-age children in Burundi are treated twice a year with Albendazole, a chewable flavored medication that expels parasites from the body. FH's four-year partnership with Burundi's Ministry of Health is part of a multi-treatment package providing vaccinations, de-worming, Vitamin A and mosquito nets. In addition to providing de-worming medication, FH helps develop reliable sources of clean water and teaches families about safe sanitation and hygiene. In the late 99s, Berkley and Harvard professors Edward Miguel and Michael Kremer found that de-worming school children reduced absenteeism by 25 percent. One decade later, de-wormed young adults earned 2 percent more annually and worked more hours weekly than those not de-wormed. quotDe-worming dramatically improves the lives of children, and Food for the Hungry remains committed to the long-term impact it is having in Burundi and around the world, quot said Andrew Crawford, FH's Director of Global Commodity Resourcing. quotChildren are transformed from languishing to thriving. Their health and development improve, they miss fewer school days and they live more fully. quot The CIA World Fact Book ranks Burundi in the bottom five poorest countries, based on GDP. With a link between de-worming, additional school years and increased GDP, the positive impact will continue for Burundi well into the future. quotWe can't ignore the dynamic shifts that are happening because of this health initiative, quot said Crawford. Read the original article from Star Africa.For more information about FH's work in Burundi, visit the website ofFood for the Hungry. Visit Burundi's countrydata page for up-to-date SHN statistics. Read more on the importance of deworming.

The theme of this year's International Literacy Day, Literacy and Peace, which fell on September 8th,adopted the themeof the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD), in order to explicit the value that literacy brings to people across the world. A good quality basic education equips pupils with literacy skills for life and further learning literate parents are more likely to send their children to school literate people are better able to access continuing educational opportunities and literate societies are better geared to meet pressing development. The association of this year's literacy daywithpeace is made through thecontributionwhich itbrings to obtaining individual freedoms and better understanding of the world, as well as in preventing or resolving conflict. As stated on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s website, quotthe connection between literacy and peace can be seen by the fact that in unstable democracies or in conflict-affected countries it is hard to establish or sustain a literate environment. quot Literacy and educationalso correlates to positive impacts on health, furthering literacy through educationenables children to learn about health,specifically, throughwhat is known as Skills-based health education. Educational process as a whole also provides skills on critical thinking, making importantchoices, andenabling children to opt for healthy livestyles. Education is also fundamental to sustainable development, and enables people to be more productive, to earn a better living and enjoy a betterquality of life and contribute to a country's overall economic growth. Education has now become recognised for its importance reflected in the commitments of the MDGs andachieving Education for All. For over 4 years now, UNESCO has been celebrating International Literacy Day by reminding the international community that literacy is a human right and the foundation for learning.

Schistosomiasis remains a problem in the rural forested areas in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Although relatively easy to treat once diagnosed, schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, blood fluke, or quotsnail fever quot 57) remains a public health problem in several tropical locales, including northeastern Brazil. The decentralization of the Schistosomiasis Control Programme in 993 from the Ministry of Health to the primary health care providers of individual states and municipalities reduced the impetus for the programme in rural areas. A renewed worldwide interest in schistosomiasis was addressed by the World Health Organization in 2 and its position was iterated in the World Health Assembly Resolution 54.9 58 quota minimum target of regular administration of chemotherapy to at least 75%, and up to %, of all school-age children at risk of morbidity by 2. quot 57 The most recent analysis of the community-based programme in Pernambuco is found in an article in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, which states that the current version of the program in rural areas will not meet the goals of WHA 54.9 unless a school-based programme is developed. Therefore, local primary health care provider outlets should focus on schools to reach the most vulnerable yet still accessible population. The integration of the Ministry of Health mission with the Ministry of Education accessibility to school children at the local level in Pernambuco, as well as policy invigoration of the Ministry of Environment toward the public health risk associated with dam construction, could help Pernambuco and the nation of Brazil continue toward its original goal of schistosomiasis eradication. Adapted from the original article from the Social and Behavioural Foundations of Primary Health Care.

Insufficient progress has been made in most developing countries to meet the United Nations’ target of halving the proportion of children who suffer from hunger by 25 compared with 99 levels, according to a systematic analysis of data on children’s height and weight, recentlypublished in Imperial College London'sLancet. Although the nutritional status of children under five has improved overall since 985, one in five infants and children in developing countries is still moderately or severely underweight, amounting to an estimated million children worldwide. Another 48 million are mildly underweight. The UN set the target as part of its Millennium Development Goals. This new analysis, led by Professor Majid Ezzati from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, estimates that while out of the 4 developing countries studied are likely to meet this target, the developing world as a whole has less than a 5% chance of succeeding. Progress has been uneven between regions, with Asia and Latin America making the strongest improvements and sub-Saharan Africa falling behind. Because nutrition has a strong effect on children’s growth, nutritional status in children can be assessed using scores based on their height and weight relative to their age, called height-for-age and weight-for-age Z scores (HAZ and WAZ). Researchers from Imperial College London, the World Health Organisation and universities in the US compiled HAZ and WAZ data from national surveys and other sources, and used statistical methods to estimate average Z scores and the prevalence of undernutrition (defined as insufficient food intake and absorption) for entire countries. The results show that 58 The proportion of children classed as moderately to severely underweight fell from 3.% to 9.4% between 985 and 2 in the countries studied. The prevalence of moderate to severe stunting (insufficient growth in height for their age) declined from 47.2% to 29.9%. South Asia, the region with the worst nutritional status in 985, has improved considerably, but undernutrition is still a major issue. About one half of the world’s underweight children live in South Asia, mostly in India. Undernutrition worsened in sub-Saharan Africa from 985 until the late 99s, when height and weight scores began to improve. The deterioration may have been due to economic shocks, structural adjustment, and trade policy reforms in the region in the 98s and 99s. In Ivory Coast and Niger, nutritional status was measurably worse in 2 than it had been in 985 Height and weight scores improved in all other regions, with the largest improvements in South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, and Southern and Tropical Latin America. The biggest improvement in children’s height occurred in China and Vietnam. Some countries in Latin America, such as Chile, now have almost no undernutrition. The proportion of underweight children almost halved per decade in Brazil. As of 2, about half of children in Burundi, Yemen, Timor-Leste, Niger and Afghanistan are moderately or severely stunted. More than one third of children in Timor-Leste, Bangladesh, Niger, India and Nepal are moderately or severely underweight. This new study includes estimates of all levels of malnutrition, unlike previous analyses, which excluded children who were mildly malnourished. The statistics suggest that in most countries, the improvements are due to population-wide improvements in nutrition, rather than interventions targeting high-risk children. Professor Majid Ezzati said 58 quotOur analysis shows that the developing world as a whole has made considerable progress towards reducing child malnutrition, but there are still far too many children who don’t receive sufficient nutritious foods or who lose nutrients due to repeated sickness. Severe challenges lie ahead. quotThere is evidence that child nutrition is best improved through equitable economic growth, investment in policies that help smallholder farmers and increase agricultural productivity, and primary care and food programmes targeted at the poor. We mustn’t allow the global economic crisis and rising food prices to cause inequalities to increase, or cut back on investments in nutrition and healthcare. quot 57Original article adapted fromImperial College London's News and Events Page on the 5th July.Image Credit 58 Imperial College London

The second Training Course on School Health and Nutrition Programmes in Southeast Asia will be held in Laos in 23, aiming to better support regional efforts to implement and scale up school health and nutrition interventions. The Lao government through the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health, the Partnership for Child Development (Imperial College London UK), Thailand’s Mahidol University, the Asian Centre of International Parasite Control (ACIPAC) and the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research aim to assist governments and development partners to achieve quality and sustainable school health and nutrition programmes that reach need children. An agreement to host the course was signed on Friday 29thJuneby the Ministry of Education and Sports Director General of Pre-school and Primary Education Department, Dr Masthong Souvanvixay, Ms Jitra Waikagul from Mahidol University’s Faculty of Tropical Medicine and ACIPAC, and Mr Jun Kobayashi from the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research. The ultimate objective of the partnership is to provide a platform for key stakeholders to learn best practices for school health and nutrition through the 23 training course. This joint action and collaborative partnership will bring together the complementary strengths of each partner to coordinate and facilitate this course, which will focus on four basic health interventions – health related school health policies, methods of providing safe water and sanitation, and skill-based health and nutrition services. Each individual within this partnership will provide technical expertise around these four areas based on their sector focus and proficiencies. In Laos, a number of agencies have been involved in implementing health activities in schools. In recent times a number of steps have been taken to improve the coordination of school health and nutrition in Laos. The first meeting was held among education and health officials which drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Education and Sports and Ministry of Health. It was agreed that the health ministry would support the education and sports ministry in institutionalising, expanding and improving health promotion in schools. The MoU was a significant achievement that created a basis for future activity and policy development between the two ministries. It includes both vertical and horizontal coordination mechanisms to encourage collaboration and coordination between the education and health sectors. The concepts and visions of school health that support education outcomes were subsequently introduced to provincial and district education and health administrators. More recently, a Joint School Health Committee was established at the central and lower administrative levels to oversee school health implementation. A comprehensive National School Health Policy (NSHP) was formulated by the committee. Both of these coordinating mechanisms have served to align efforts and to encourage the promotion of a common platform on school health and nutrition activities and initiatives. The work culminated in NSHP being jointly signed off by the two ministries in May 2. The programme is now being implemented by the National School Health Taskforce which consists of staff from related departments of the two ministries and plays multiple roles in a cycle of school health implementation. Building on this commitment to school health and nutrition the Lao government will host the 23 short course. Adapted from the original article from Vientiane Times.

Recent recommendations by the World Health Organisation have called for the involvement of schoolsin target populations whereanintense transmission of parasites is found quotSchools provide a good entry point for deworming as they allow easy provision of the health and hygiene education component such as the promotion of hand washing and improved sanitation quot 57saidthe WHO in a statementpublished last week around the release of new figures. Over 27 million preschool-age children and over million school-age children live in areas where these parasites are intensively transmitted, and are in need of treatment and preventive interventions. The World Health Organisation has recently encouraged periodic deworming, with recommended deworming medicines Albedazone and Mebendazone, which it donates to government health ministries. It commends these treatments for being cheap and easy to administer by non-medical personnel, for example teachers. Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas, with the greatest numbers occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, China and East Asia, the helminth infections are caused by parasitic worms (helminths) that are transmitted to people through contaminated soil. quotThe worms feed on host tissues, including blood, which leads to a loss of iron and protein. The worms increase malabsorption of nutrients. In addition, roundworm may possibly compete for vitamin A in the intestine. Some soil-transmitted helminths also cause loss of appetite and therefore a reduction of nutritional intake and physical fitness. In particular, T. trichiura can cause diarrhoea and dysentery, quot 57 said the WHO. For further information on how worms affect school health and nutrition visit schoolsandhealth'sworm page. For more press coverage on this story pleasesee the original article from which this piece has been adapted 58 WHO 58 2bn people infected by helminth And 58 2 billion infected with with worm infections - WHOInfection Control Today Parasitic Worms in Contaminated Soil Affect the World's Poorest CommunitiesReadthe release from WHO which can befound on the WHOwebsite.

On the5-8th May Ethiopia hosted the largest forum of leading international school feeding experts which has ever been brought together. The 4th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum, hosted by the Government of Ethiopia, saw over 2 regional, national and international experts from 23 sub- Saharan African countries share ideas and discuss strategies to implement sustainable school feeding programmes which can aid the economic, educational and agricultural development of sub-Saharan Africa. The key theme of the Forumwas on how national school feeding programmes can both stimulate economic development and improve the health and well being of future citizens. The global commitment to achieve the United Nations’ eight anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals by 25 has emphasized the importance of school feeding programmes as a social safety net so that hunger may be eradicated and universal primary education achieved.At present over sixty million children go to school hungry every day in developing countries. Children that don’t eat don’t learn.In the same communities, smallholder farmers, often unable to reach a market, struggle to make a living selling their food. The solution is clear 58 local food for local children.More specifically, when linked to local agricultural production, school feeding programmes can benefit local farmers and producers by generating a stable, structured, and predictable demand for their products, thereby building the market and the enabling systems around it. This is an approach known as Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF). The Global Child Nutrition Foundation (GCNF) and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) are co-hosting the event with technical support provided by the World Food Programme (WFP).Leaderswere united for five days of intensive training, technical assistance and planning to help countries establish sustainable school feeding programmes. By sharing their insights, experiences, and challenges, an informal worldwide alliance of leaders dedicated to advancing school feeding has evolved. As a result, the Forum has become a global catalyst for school feeding development.Dr Lesley Drake, Executive Director, Partnership for Child Development speaking at the forumsaid, quotEvery year at the Forum I am astounded by the commitment and dedication of the school feeding community. Meetings like this provide an opportunity to witness how the school feeding community is evolving and how the individuals here, as well as their colleagues at home are truly global catalysts for school feeding development.What has really cometo the forefront this year is the agricultural dimension of school feeding when programmes purchase locally. The result is that the children who are receiving food are benefiting and the farmers providing the food are benefiting, it is a win-win. quot 57The opening ceremony featured key note addresses from Dr Tedros Adhanom the Ethiopian Ministers of Health, and Mr Tefera Derbew Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and World Food Prize Laureate and former Ghanaian President His Excellency John Kufuor. Other contributors included Ministers of State from 58 Malawi, Ghana, Senegal, Sudan and Uganda and representatives of 58 NEPAD, CAADP, AGRA, The World Bank, Purchase for Progress (WFP), WFP, Centre of Excellence Against Hunger, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), USDA Foreign Agriculture Service, PATH, and many other active organisations working across the globe on school feeding, health and agriculture.Read thefull agenda for GCNF 22. Read the ForumCommuniquéFind Presentations from the forum for 58 Day , Day2 and Day 4. (With Day 3 being the field trip). Read the various press articles on the pilot project and GCNF 58Merkato,Ethiopia Launches School Feeding ProgramThe Reporter,Gov't Looks to School Feeding to Support Agricultural Dev'tAll Africa,Ethiopia 58 Farmers to Supplant Imported Food for School Lunches

The Minister of Local Government and Rural Affairs, together with development partners, launched a new GHS .8 million Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme which will improve the health, education and nutrition of over 32, school-age children in Ghana and the communities in which they live. The four year programme funded by Dubai Cares will see the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London supporting the Government of Ghana in its efforts to improve the nutritional intake of children living in poverty and food insecurity through the provision of healthy school meals. The new programme builds on the ongoing success of the Ghanaian Government’s School Feeding Programme which already feeds over a million children every school day. Home Grown School feeding programmes such as those in Ghana, which procure their food from local smallholder farmers have been shown to improve the educational achievement of children as well as supporting the economic development of smallholder farmers. Children who are fed at school have higher attendance rates, suffer less from absenteeism and are more likely to concentrate whilst they are at school. There are few greater impediments to an education than an empty belly. However, just filling children up is not enough. To protect them from malnutrition, anemia, and infection, programmes need to ensure they are feeding children healthy nutritious food, containing the necessary micronutrients and vitamins - they need to make sure that children are not infected with parasitic worms and to make sure that parents understand what the nutritional needs are in order to ensure that their children grow to be strong and healthy. The new initiative looks to meet these needs by focusing on three main areas 58 Improvements to the nutritional quality of the food so that the meals being provided contain the energy, protein, vitamins A and C, Iron, Zinc and iodine that children need. In turn, schools will advise farmers on what crops need to be grown to meet these nutritional needs.An education campaign targeting parents on the importance of education and nutrition for school children and their families. A complimentary deworming programme which will ensure that it is the child being fed not the worms. Speaking at the launch Dr Lesley Drake, Executive Director, Partnership for Child Development said, quotThis generous support from Dubai Cares to Ghana will make a real difference to the health, nutrition and education of school aged children and the communities in which they live. The Ghana School Feeding Programme provides an excellent example of good practice and this funding will undoubtedly strengthen the platform for sustainable Home Grown School Feeding Programmes across the continent, benefitting millions of children and farmers. Today is a good day for school-age children and for smallholder farmers. quotTariq Al Gur, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares alsocommented, quotThis programme will not only benefit school children, but marginal rural communities as well since the commodities required for producing the nutritious meals for school children will be procured from local farmers. This creates a self-sustaining cycle in which students receive the nutrition they need and household incomes increase. quot 57 The Ghanaian School Feeding Programme (GSFP) will also focus on ensuring the programme’s sustainability by improving in-country management capacity and promoting cost effective delivery systems that can result in increased programme efficiency for the long term. This combination of effective delivery and increased capacity will enable the programme to be further scaled up in the future. The programme was officially launched by the Hon. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo Minister for Local Government and Rural Affairs, Mr Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive of Dubai Cares and Dr Lesley Drake, the Partnership for Child Development to an audience of representatives from Ghanaian Ministries of Health, Education and Agriculture and representatives from the development community. As part of the launch representatives of participant organisations visited local farms and schools to speak to the farmers, children and the wider communities who will be benefiting from this new programme. Read more on Home Grown School Feeding Read more press articles onthe Dubai Cares launch for continued supportofHGSF in Ghana 58Albawaba 58 Dubai Cares launches HGSF program in Ghana reaching over 4, beneficiariesTrade Arabia 58 Dubai Cares' Ghana drive to benefit 4,Gulf News 58 Dubai Cares Programme to help 32, Children in GhanaEmirates 24/7 58 Dubai Cares Ghana Initiative to help 4,The Gulf Today 58 Dubai initiative to help 4, in Ghana

It was World Malaria Day on the 25th April, which was this year themed, quotsustain lives, save lives 58 invest in Malaria quot calling on the sustainable and sufficient funding of programmes to control malaria. In its World Malaria Report 2 the World Health Organization noted that although progress had been made towards malaria eradication, there was still a resurgence in three African countries. Whether the Malaria map shrinks or is reclaimed by Malaria parasites very much depends on the resources invested in control efforts over the next few years. The Malaria Control in Schools toolkit aims to enable education professionals to develop effective programmes on the prevention and control of malaria for school-age children within malaria endemic countries. For further information visit the Malaria Page. Find Country Programmes on Malaria,articles in the Malaria Bibliography amp Document Downloads. Visit the website of the Malaria Consortiumfor more in-depth information.

CEDAPS and the Network of Healthy CommunitiesCivil Society Organization, the CEDAPS Center for Health Promotion hasworked in the field ofcommunity health for the last 2 years. Duringthis time, it created and coordinated the Network of Healthy Communities a network of 5 grassroots groups based in the favelas of Rio and other cities, strengthening their capacity to progress into inclusive development initiatives. At the same time the network works with various partners to advocate and mobilize resources for health and education equity. The creation of Everybody's SchoolThrough the healthy communities collective, CEDAPS has successfully implemented a number of school health and inclusion initiatives, such as quotEverybody's School quot, which has been supportedby the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and the Inter American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development (iiDi). One of the network members, EDUCAP, a very committed organization based in quotFavela do Alem quot (which has a large community with more than 8, inhabitants) was chosen by the British Embassy to host Prince Harry's visit to Brazil in March 22, and accordingly,to receive a donation for its continued work. The Partnership for Child Development's support to Everybody's SchoolEducap's leader Lucia, an incredible asset to the organization works tirelessly with her community, todeliverall kinds of education and inclusive activities including 58 literacy courses, support groups to ex-youth offenders, HIV and chronic diseases prevention and many more. The organization's facilitywas builtfrom recycled shipparts to form a modern, beautiful and sustainable construction. British influence in the history of CEDAPS goes back a long way, including early collaboration in 2 between the Dreyfus Health Foundation and the Partnership for Child Development to introduce a methodology called quotProblem Solving for Better Health quot (PSBH).Thissaw health and inclusion promotionof children with disabilities in schools and communities.Partnerships such as Everybody's School in Complexo do Alem, which Prince Harry visited in March 22, are examples of what can be accomplished through collaboration,and additionalcontributions such as those from PCD makessuch achievements greater.Read theoriginal article on Prince Harry's visit to the project on Brazilian news blog Globo. Read more about PCD's work with Everybody's School on schoolsandhealth page, Including children with disabilities 58 challenges and responses in school health and nutrition programmes.

In West and Central Africa, Ministries of Education, teachers’ unions, and Associations of teachers’ living with HIV can play an important role in supporting infected and affected teachers. West and Central Africa has a number of post-conflict/in-conflict countries that require specific attention and response. Furthermore, while many countries have HIV policies in the education sector, these policies are not always implemented.The Accra meeting on 24-2 April will address these specific challenges with the aim of strengthening teachers’ role in contributing to prevention efforts in the region. The objective is to ensure that teachers living with HIV can be supported through effective policies and programmes, protecting them from HIV-related stigma and discrimination as well as ensuring access to prevention and care.The event is the result of the strong partnership established between Ministries of Education, UNESCO, ILO, the World Bank, UNAIDS, WHO, Education International (EI), and PCD (Partnership for Child Development). It will bring together existing national associations of teachers infected and affected by HIV in West and Central Africa, HIV focal points of the Ministries of Education, teachers’ unions and key national and international stakeholders.Taking stock of past initiatives and practices, the meeting will 58Establish a plan of action highlighting areas of work between teachers' unions, MoE and HIV positive teachers’ associationsDevelop a policy framework on HIV in the education sector to reflect the Recommendation 2, 2 and aimed at protecting the rights of teachers infected and affected by HIV in West and Central Africa Create sub-regional network of associations of teachers living with HIVThe meeting will adopt a mix of experience sharing, case studies and working groups. The focus will be on 58Analysis of the existing support and needs related to teachers infected and affected by HIV in West and Central AfricaReview of existing workplace policies and programmes in the education sectorAnalysis of the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders in West and Central AfricaIt is critical that AIDS responses in the education sector are inclusive of the different stakeholders that operate in the sector, to ensure the needs of different beneficiaries are considered. Institutional frameworks as well as concrete actions need to be put in place with clear roles established at country and regional level. It is in this spirit that the meeting will result in three days of consultations and decision making.

Created by the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) the Vietnam Handwashing Initiative aims to reduce disease and mortality through a behavioural change communication (BCC) programme. This programmesees the promotion of hand washing with soap among caretakers of children under five and among primary school age children aged - years. The promotion of handwashing is an extremely effective tool for the prevention of disease. The two biggest killers of children in the developing world today are diarrheal disease and respiratory tract infections. The simple act of washing hands with soap can cut diarrheal disease and respiratory tract infections by a third. The World Bank has therefore stipulated that this makes handwashing a better option for disease prevention than any single vaccine. The Vietnam Handwashing Initiative includes both 58 (i) a national mass media campaign geared toward children, and (ii) a school-based interpersonal communication activities campaign. It aims to ensure that semi-urban and rural schoolchildren will 58 know that even clean-looking and clean-smelling hands can have germsbelieve that handwashing with water alone is not enough - soap is needed believe that handwashing with soap is an important practice to demonstrate in front of friends and familybe motivated to wash their hands with soap before eating and after using the latrinebe motivated and feel excited about handwashing with soap and want to practice it. The campaign development started with formative research conducted in July 28 amongst children in six primary schools from three provinces to represent northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam in each province, one peri-urban and one rural area were chosen. This research found that a leading motivator for handwashing with soap is the desire to prevent others from getting sick (especially younger brothers and sisters). This and other findings were incorporated into a behaviour change communication campaign (BCC) for children, launched in August 29, using the theme quotpride of the family quot. Handwashing was from this, positioned as an easy, fun, and smart behaviour with a tagline of, quotWash your hands with soap for your own health and the health of others around you quot. Rather than a top-down education approach, the campaign combined mass media and interpersonal communications activities. A series of cartoon strips was printed in the weekly national children's quotYouth quot magazine beginning in September 29. In addition an animated cartoon, children's games in schools, a set of guidelines and an instructural DVD were made for training teachers how to play the games as an additional lesson on handwashing with soap. Vietnam is one of the four countries within the WSP's Global Scaling-Up Handwashing Project which focuses on learning how to apply innovative promotional approaches to behavioural change to generate widespread and sustained improvements in handwashing with soap among women of reproductive age and primary school-aged children. Over , students have been reached thus far through the school programme and an estimated 3, children have been reached via the mass media programme. Find out more about the Vietnam Handwashing Initiative on the Communications Initiative Network - a network whichpromotes communication and media use for social and economic development.

OnWednesday 8th April, a week ahead of World Malaria Day, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases (APPMG) will hold an event in the House of Commons focusing on how funding can be sustained for maintaining and increasing programmes to control malaria. Malaria has a particularlyhigh prevelance rate amongst children. It infects between 3 to 5 million people a year and kills over one million people. Most of the deaths are of children under five years old and over 9% of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria in pregnancy causes low birth weight, which contributes to infant mortality. According to the most recent World Health Organization, World Malaria Report 2, effortsfor prevention have been largely successful, producing real changes in malaria transmission most caseswhere feveris prevalent(even in Africa) are now no longer due to malaria. Although the 2 report noted that significant progress has been made, it alsodrew attention to the fact thata resurgence of malaria was observed in three African countries.It suggests thiscould be in part due to a lapse in control measures.Therefore sustaining high coverage rates of Malaria prevention and control shouldremain of particular concern. World Malaria Day on the 25th April has been themed, quotsustain gains, save lives 58 invest in Malaria quot, calls on sustainable and sufficient funding of programmesto control malaria -which can be a significantcontributionto reaching the health related aims of the Millennium Development Goals by their 25 deadline. The APPMG eventtitled, quothow can funding be sustained for maintaining and increasing programmes for controlling malaria quot will hear from speakers 58 Dr Christoph Benn from The Global Fund, who will give an overview of the progress on the Comprehensive Transformation Plan at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria as well as key elements of the new Global Fund Strategy 22 – 2. Christopher Edgerton-Warburton, Partner, Lion’s Head Global Partners, who will discuss the Global Health Investment Fund (GHIF). This new impact investment which is sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and managed by the Lion’s Head has been designed to catalyse low cost debt funding for late stage products for Global Health with a strong focus on malaria. Alan Court, Senior Advisor to the United Nation’s Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Malaria, who will look at the overall needs and gaps in financing for malaria and the different potential streams of financing being explored. Stephen O’Brien MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, who is to attend and offer DfiD’s perspective on the speakers’ contributions. Stephen O’Brien will also be answering questions on UKaid and malaria during a live Q ampA event on Facebook on Tuesday 7 April from 2-2.3pm. Follow this link for more information or to post questions in advance of the session. For more information about the event and how to register please visit the website of theAPPMG. For furtherresources,documents, country specificinformation as well asa toolkit on controlling malaria in schools,pleasesee the following links 58 Malaria Bibliography Country Programmes on Malaria Document downloadsMalaria Toolkit

The Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College Londonin partnership with ESACIPAC-KEMRI and WACIPAC are pleased to announce registration for the 8th Annual Africa Short Course on Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes is officially open. Following the success of the 7th annual course in 2 in Kenya, we are delighted to announce that this year’s course will be returning to East Africa reinvigorated with a range of new topics, speakers, and methods. The course will be held in Kilifi, Kenya, from June 9th – 28th. This dynamic, capacity-building course continues to bring together representatives from Ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture, and Social Welfare, the United Nations agencies and civil society to promote the sharing of good practice, knowledge and experiences in school health and nutrition (SHN) and HIV prevention, both between countries and across sectors. Course facilitators with recognised expertise in SHN and HIV prevention support participants to develop country-specific response plans by stimulating lively debate and discussion on current and ongoing issues. The course continues to place a strong emphasis on country capacity building and the strengthening of regional partner initiatives which seek to harmonise SHN and HIV prevention activities, thereby contributing to the achievement of Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. Please find further information about this year’s course in the Course Flyer, and outcomes of last year’s course in the 2 Course Report, which summarises the lively debate and the knowledge and good practices that were shared among the health, education and agricultural sectors by the participating country teams 58 Angola, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Swaziland, and Uganda. Expression of interest formsare available for download here and should be submitted no later than Friday, May th to PCD. If you would like to receive this form in Word format, please contact Alexis Palfreyman 58 a.palfreyman@imperial.ac.uk This year the course will once again be co-hosted by the Eastern and Southern African Centre for International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC), based at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), the West African Centre for International Parasite Control (WACIPAC) based at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), based at Imperial College London. Please note registration for this year’s course closes on Friday, th May 22. For further information and/or submission of registration please see 58 If you have any queries about the course or how to register for the 22 course, please contact 58 Ms. Alexis Palfreyman -Programme Manager for Networks amp Training Partnership for Child Development (PCD) Imperial College London, London, W2 PG, UK Email 58 a.palfreyman@imperial.ac.uk Tel 58 +44 ()2 759 42755 /Fax 58 +44 ()2 722 792

At the end of last year (Nov 28 - 29th),an International Conference on School MentalHealth (SMH)was held in Montreal, Canada. Attended by 7 participants the conference principally focused on ecological and systems-based approaches toSMH promotion. A series of webinars on 58 implementation, capacity and sustainability in approaches to increase SMH promotion were the focus of the conference. These webinars which have also demonstrated the value of the internet and the role of the international school health network,included 58 a discussion and interview on capacity, an overview of a systems-based approach to School Health promotion, a research-based model for inter-agency cooperation in School Mental Health (SMH), the beginning of a discussion on maintaining fidelity to research-based programmes and comprehensive approaches and a discussion of the many topics/issues associated withimplementation, capacity, sustainability and systems change. Theconference was co-hosted by the Canadian Association for School Health alongside itspartners 58 the Institut nationale de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ),the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE),and the International School Health Network (ISHN). The next webinars/web meetings held by the Canadian Association will feature 58 quot¢ April at 8 58 am (Ottawa time) A Capacity-based Blueprint for School Mental Health Promotion will include participants from several countries discussing Ministry, Agency/School Board, School and Professional Capacities in School Mental Health Promotion quot¢ April 24 at 58 (Ottawa time) Dr. Sharon Stephan, Director, Center on School Mental Health, University of Maryland. Laura Brey, Director of Professional Services, National Assembly on School-based Health Care and Linda Anderson, West Virginia Expanded School Mental Health Initiative will discuss The Critical Factors in Inter-Ministry Policy, Collaboration and Leadership in School Mental Health ​For more information on the webinars,visit theCanadian School Health Communitywebsite.

Deworm the World School Based Deworming Project Innovations for Poverty Action Field Assistants Jobs in Kenya (22). Locations 58 Busia / Kisumu / Kakamega / Oyugis (hiring for all four locations). Expected travel within Western and/or Nyanza province. Description of Tasks, Duties and Responsibilities 58 The Field Assistants will assist Deworm the World Scale Up in monitoring amp evaluation activities. Activities include monitoring training sessions, visiting schools amp conducting interviews with head teachers, teachers, students, and parents, and traveling into communities to conduct interviews with parents. FA’s will be expected to travel to the villages surrounding their location. General duties include 58 Collecting data from the field at schools, training sessions, amp in communities Organizing data collected from the fieldOn non-field days 58 conscientious performance of office work (such as matching IDs, photocopying, etc.) Consult with all the other field staff on any new issues arising from the field activities and finding ways to deal with such issues and or challenges Maintaining high standard of professional integrity in all activitiesEnsure that all survey material is properly secured after and returned to the supervisor at the end of the survey after the exercise is overData Collection 58 Observing Regional and Teacher Training Sessions Collecting data from schools prior to deworming day, on deworming day and after deworming day Administering phone questionnaires/surveys with district amp divisional staff, head teachers and teachers Administering in-person surveys with district, divisional and school staff as well as children and parents Observing deworming activities and community sensitization activitiesDeadline to Apply 58 April 23rd 22 Start Date 58 May 22. See the full job description and required specifications at 58 JobsinKenya

The New York Times recently published an article, titled quotIn India, a Small Pill, With Positive Side Effects quot recognising the importance of overcoming the challenges of advocacy and awareness for achieving widespread reach of school-based deworming programmes. The article published in the NYT's Opinionator Blog specifically praised Deworm the World, the organisation which works towards improving the health and education of school-age children across the globe by supporting governments and development partners to expand school-based deworming programmes. Currently million school-age children across the globe are at risk of being infected with parasitic worms, which harm their health and development, limit their participation in school, and decrease their earnings as adults.The article highlighted some key achievements of DtW, importantly that of Delhi deworming, an initiative carried out by the Government of Delhi in February this year, quotto stamp out the widespread but neglected ailment. quotThe NYT's blog noted that quotfor a year and a half, Deworm the World lobbied government officials in Delhi to get approvals and plan the campaign. quotThe article also mentioned the strong evidence of deworming's short- and long-term effects as a key reason why other programmes have been initiated with support from DtW.Other DtW initiatives highlighted in the article included 58Bihar School-Based Deworming (carried out in 2) and Kenyan National School-based Deworming which is set to relaunch later this year.Read the New York Times Article

To celebrate the life work of three individuals who have made outstanding contributions to end child hunger and advance school feeding around the world, PCD staff amongst other representatives of local and international non-profit organizations, USAID, industry, and government entities came together in Washington on Monday, March 5, 22, for the Global Child Nutrition Foundation’s annual quotA Possible Dream quot 57 Gala. Addressing the 5 member audience, National Coordinator of Kenya’s school feeding programme, Philomena Chege, took the opportunity to highlight the importance of school feeding. quotA hungry child cannot learn they cannot exploit their potential. I urge you to join hands with us to curtail this problem quot 57. Chege was also amongst those honored on the night, being awarded the 22 Winston Policy Scholar. The government led school feeding initiative in Kenya, called Njaa Marufuku Kenya (NMK), which began in 25, is currently beingsupported by HGSF. HGSF promotes local agriculture by benefiting rural farmers using locally-sourced food, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers, the majority of whom are women, while improving the education, health, and nutrition of children. NMK targeted areas that had ahigh and medium potential to grow food as well as areas that hadhigh levels of school dropout, poor primary school performance, and high levels of malnutrition. Currently the project continues to reach 3,72 children in 48 schools that are across six provinces in the East African country.At the ceremony, the ninth recipient of the Gene White Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Nutrition was presented to Ambassador Tony P. Hall. As he accepted the award, he quoted Mother Teresa and noted her as inspiration in his efforts to alleviate childhood hunger. quotWhat we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop quot 57. Ambassador Hall continued by saying, quotwhen programs effectively reduce absenteeism and increase the duration of schooling, educational outcomes improve across the board quot¦ Eliminating the scourge of childhood hunger is not something any of us can do alone. We need all hands on deck if we’re going to succeed in this quot 57.The two other individuals celebrated at the gala were Lyman Graham as 2 SNA Director of the Year and Tony Roberts as 2 SNA Industry Member of the year who were recognized by School Nutrition Association President, Helen Phillips.The event is held annually to raise awareness and funds for GCNF’s efforts to combat global child hunger through sustainable school feeding programs. It was announced at the gala, that the total raised was $35, with an additional $, for the Global Child Nutrition Forum. The forum, which is to be supported by GCNF, WFP and PCD is due to be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in May this year. Find out more on the Kenyan School Feeding Programme Read more on the Gala on GCNF’s website See coverage of the ceremony in the Washington Post

Last week, the Government of Delhi launched a mass school-based deworming exercise throughout the National Capital Territory (NCT) targeting 3. million school-age and preschool children. The quotWorm Free Childhood quot 57 initiative has been implemented under the school health scheme Chacha Nehru Sehat Yojna led by Delhi’s Directorate of Health Services and supported by Deworm the World (DtW).Deworm the world improves the health and education of school-age children across the globe by supporting governments and development partners to expand school-based deworming programs. Over million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms. These infections are chronic and widespread, harming children’s health and development and limiting their participation in school. School-based deworming is universally recognized as a safe, simple and cost-effective solution. The benefits of school-based deworming are both immediate and enduring. Regular treatment can reduce school absenteeism by 25% and increase adult earnings by over 2%, and at a cost of less than 5 US cents per child per year. On Tuesday 2st of February, the dedicated quotDeworming Day quot 57 in Delhi saw that deworming drugs were administered to children in Delhi Government schools, MCD schools, NDMC schools and anganwadis (preschools) by teachers in schools and by anganwadi workers in anganwadi centers. Today, a quotMop-up Day quot 57 will follow to provide treatment to children who are not present on deworming day, so as to ensure maximum coverage of the target population. The Government of Delhi determined that mass deworming in schools was an important step in improving the education and health of school-age and preschool children based on the results of a worm prevalence study conducted by DtW in 2. This study looked at 35 children from Delhi government schools, MCD schools and slums across the National Capital Territory. The study found an average prevalence for soil-transmitted helminths of .9% across Delhi, with a significantly higher average prevalence in MCD schools (8.8%) and slums (8.79%) compared to Delhi government schools (9.9 %). The Government of Delhi with the support of DtW is currently conducting monitoring and evaluation of the program to determine how many children are reached by this first mass deworming exercise treatment figures and coverage will be released as soon as the data are available. A robust partnership was taken to ensure a multi-sectorial approach for the implementation of this programme was taken. Those involved in deworming targeting 3. million children in Delhi were 58 Deworm the World Directorate of Health Services Directorate of Education Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) Department of Women and Child DevelopmentFurther Information 58Read the news article on 58 Mass School-Based Deworming Launched in DelhiRead a first hand account from DtW's communications contact in Delhi 58 A Report From the Field 58 Delhi Deworming Launch Event For other deworming initiatives in Indiasee 58 Bihar School-Based Deworming Program and theAndhra Pradesh School Based Deworming Program.

​ ​Vientiane, Lao PDR, 3-2 February 23 Following the success of the inaugural training course in School Health amp Nutrition (SHN) in Southeast Asia in Bangkok during February 22, the Partnership for Child Development, Mahidol University​ and the Japan Consortium for Global School Health Research co-organised the 2nd SHN Training Course in the region, hosted by the Lao PDR Ministries of Education amp Sport and Health, between 3 - 2 February 23. The 23 course welcomed 4 participants from South and Southeast Asian countries. Attendees included representatives of 58 the World Food Programme, Save the Children, GIZ and the Global Partnership for Education. For eight days attendees were able to impart experiences, regional knowledge, attend action planning workshops, expert lectures and field learning.The key topics of the course focused on Parasite Control (deworming​) and huma​n resources management (teacher training). Prof. Sir Roy Anderson, Director of the London Centre for NTD Research opened the event, and keynote speeches were given from Vice-ministers of Education amp Health ministries in the Government of Laos. Read the article, 2nd Asia Course held in Laos​ for further information.Download the 2nd Asia SHN Training Course Report. Available Documents 58 Course Information Presentations Day Country Presentations Day Presentations Day 2 Presentations Day 3 Presentations Day 5 Presentations Day 7 Presentations Day 8 Laos Specific Presentations​ Photos from the course can also be accessed on PCD's Facebook Page. EnquiriesIf you have any queries about the course or any further questions, please contact 58Cai HeathSHN Projects Officer Email 58 c.heath@imperial.ac.uk Partnership for Child Development (PCD)Dept. of Infectious Disease EpidemiologyImperial College LondonLondonW2 PG, UKTel 58 +44 ()2 759 43255Fax 58 +44 ()2 722 792 ​

On Monday 3th January in the largest coordinated effort of its kind, 3 pharmaceutical companies, four governments and a host of international organisations including the Gates Foundation, World Health Organisation and the World Bank and Deworm the World joined forces to announce commitments to improve the lives of more than one billion people affected by a group of diseases known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). These diseases devastate the lives of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world, together causing death, severe disability and stigma. At a London meeting, hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, participants announced they would 58 sustain or expand existing drug donation programmes to meet demand through 22 share expertise and compounds to accelerate research and development of new drugs and provide more than US$785 million to support R ampD efforts and strengthen drug distribution and implementation programmes.Partners also endorsed the quotLondon Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases​, quot 57 in which they pledged new levels of collaborative effort and tracking of progress. Announcing the commitment of US$33 million by his Foundation, Bill Gates said the collaboration would help millions of people build self-sufficiency and serve as a model for tackling future global development challenges. Targets identified by the donors and drugs companies included the wiping out Guinea worm disease by 25, the global elimination of blinding trachoma and lymphatic filariasis by 22, and the control and elimination of schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis in many African countries.World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Margaret Chan, speaking about the new commitments said it quotchanges the face quot of NTDs – illnesses that needlessly disable, blind and kill millions of the world's poorest people. quotWith the boost to this momentum being made today, I am confident almost all of these diseases can be eliminated or controlled by the end of this decade. quotNTDs disproportionally affect people in the poorest countries of the world. Experts estimate more than a billion people are affected by them, including more than 5 million children. To guide the new global push in the elimination and control of NTDS WHO presented its roadmap for controlling, eliminating and eradicating NTDs. It outlines targets for addressing the health needs of the poverty-stricken communities affected by NTDs.Download the Road Map for Implementation. Pharmaceutical representatives on the discussion panel stressed that an efficient response requires coordination and partnership, naturally outweighing the achievements one company or partner could achieve on its own.Building on the theme of public-private partnerships to tackle these diseases the governments of Bangladesh, Brazil, Mozambique and Tanzania, where NTDs are endemic, announced that they would implement integrated plans to defeat NTDs and devote political and financial resources to combat these diseases. Government commitment was highlighted as a key step in the development of effective and sustainable NTD treatment programmes. Using the example of the success of Kenyan national school based deworming programme which treated over 3.4 million children at a cost of 3 US cents per child. Dr Lesley Drake, DtW's Executive Director who presented at the meeting said, quot˜We can’t go it alone developmental partners, donors and pharmaceutical companies need to engage with governments to ensure that efforts and donations are targeted and used cost-effectively.Key commitments included 58 UK Department of International Development £95 million through 25, targeted at Guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness and schistosomiasis, as well as the development of new programmes for blinding trachoma, visceral leishmaniasis, research and integrated country approaches.USAID US$89 million for NTD control in 22. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation US$33 million over five years to overcome barriers to success and address critical gaps to achieve the control and elimination of targeted NTDs by 22 World Bank At the country level, extend its financing and technical support to help countries build stronger community health systems that will integrate NTD elimination and control.At the regional level, the World Bank will continue fiduciary oversight of the existing trust fund that supports the fight against river blindness in Africa, and will also work with other partners to expand the trust fund to eliminate or control preventable NTDs on the continent Mozambique Implementation of a fully integrated, multisectoral plan to control and eliminate NTDs, guided by WHO recommendations adapted to the local setting. Reach full geographic coverage of all endemic areas for lymphatic filariasis, soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasisCompletely map and reach full geographic coverage of trachoma by 28Build capacity for surveillance and action to sustain gains from mass drug administration programmes Implementation of a fully integrated plan to control and eliminate NTDs, guided by WHO recommendations adapted to the local settingBangladesh, Brazil and Tanzania Implementation of coordinated plan to control and eliminate NTDs, guided by WHO recommendations adapted to the local setting. Merck KGaA Increase in annual donation of praziquantel tablets from 25 million to 25 million tablets/year to treat schistomiasis infections. Extending the programme indefinitely. Development of a child friendly formulation of praziquantel Merck KGaA. Financial support of school awareness programmes for schistosomiasis. GlaxoSmithKline Extension of existing albendazole (used in the targeting transmitted helminths infections) donation of 4 million tablets/year to 22. Johnson amp Johnson Extension of existing mebendazole (used in the targeting soil transmitted helminths infections) donation of 2 million tablets/year to 22.Eisai Donation of 2.2 billion tablets of DEC (used in the targeting of Lymphatic Filariasis) from 22-22. Click here for a full list of the commitments made

Home grown school feeding programmes have supported social and economic development in Ghana and can do so elsewhere in Africa. This was one of the key messages given by Food Prize Laureate and former Ghanaian President H.E. John Kufuor, at a discussion on innovations to tackle food security held in the UK Houses of Parliament last week. H.E. Kufuor described how school feeding initiatives such as the Ghana School Feeding Programme which sourced its food from local smallholder farmers, benefited both school children and farmers alike. H.E. Kufuor was speaking at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Developmentheld in conjunction with the Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London. The meeting, chaired by Lords Boateng and Cameron, brought togather parliamentarians, civil servants, academics and other representatives of civil society to discuss innovative ways to improve food security by linking local agriculture, nutrition and education. The Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London launced its supporttogovernments in sub-Saharan Africa to implement Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) progammes in 29. These programmes see the delivery of cost effective school feeding sourced from local farmers. As well as supporting rural economies, school feeding interventions have been shown to bring more children to school and to give food to those most in need. Other panel speakers agreed on the importance of these programmes whichsee thathealthy well fed children to learn more efficiently and allow the gap to bridged between health and education. The panel at the event were 58 Keynote Speaker, His Excellency John Kufuor, Former President of Ghana and 2 World Food Prize Laureate. Professor Don Bundy, Lead Health Specialist, the World Bank. Dr Boitshepo Giyose, Food and Nutrition Advisor, The New Economic Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). Professor Sir Gordon Conway, Professor of International Development, Agriculture for Impact, The Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London. To read a full press release on the event, please see the HGSF site.

​​​Launching the second phase of its deworming programme, the Government of Kenya aims to free children from harmful parasitic worm infections.The programme is supported by Deworm the World, a cost-effective initiative treating school children for parasitic worms, which stunt development and impair education. Deworm the World is a Young Global Leaders initiative, which plans to bring cheap and effective deworming treatment to five million children worldwide for the next five years.At the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 22 in Davos, Switzerland, Kenya launched the second phase of its national deworming programme aiming to treat five million children annually for the next five years.Deworm the World is supported by the Partnership for Child Development, USAID,and The Children's Fund Foundation amongst others.The programme was developed by the World Economic Forum's community of Young Global Leaders and has treated 37 million children worldwide to date. Prime Minister, Raila Amolo Odinga, of Kenya increased his commitment to the scheme during the Annual Meeting on Saturday 28th January, outlining the importance of grappling with the issue.The Forum of Young Global Leaders is a World Economic Forum community of exceptional people under the age of 4 who actively work towards shaping a better future.In the Indian state of Bihar, more than 7 million children were treated in 2 alone, and the initiative aims to reach another 25 million children worldwide over the next four years.Watch the full discussion with panelists Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga and Sriram Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer of InKlude Labs, India and one of the Young Global Leaders who leads Deworm the World. The discussion includes speakers 58​Jamie Cooper-Hohn, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation, United Kingdom John Dutton, Deputy Head, Forum of Young Global Leaders, World Economic Forum, SwitzerlandRaila Amolo Odinga, Prime Minister of KenyaSriram Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer, InKlude Labs, India Young Global LeaderRajiv J. Shah, Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID), USA Young Global Leader.​

Deworm the World will be featured tomorrow at a World Economic Forum event in Davos. This press conference will highlight key achievements of this Young Global Leader initiative and feature exciting new commitments from partners to improve the lives of millions of children through school-based deworming. We are in a thrilling new era for neglected tropical diseases, with Deworm the World and our global partners coming together this Friday in Davos and Monday, January 3 at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation special event quotUniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases quot 57 in London. Help us to kick off the momentum by watch the panel discussion . For those who can't watch the live stream we'll be live tweeting at @dewormtheworldWe hope you can join us and the Government of Kenya, USAID, and The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, to find out how together we can make a difference in the fight against worms. A YGL Initiative 58 Deworm the World Friday 27 January 3 58 - 3 583 CETCongress Centre, Press Conference Room The Deworm the World initiative of the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leaders improves the education and health of school-age children across the globe by supporting governments and development partners to expand school-based deworming programs. Building on its success in Kenya and India, plans will be presented to expand the initiative to other countries. The session will include 58 Speakers Raila Amolo Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya Rajiv J. Shah, Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID), USAJamie Cooper-Hohn, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), United Kingdom John Dutton, Deputy Head, Forum of Young Global Leaders, World Economic Forum, Switzerland Sriram Raghavan, Chief Executive Officer, InKlude Labs, India Young Global Leader and Deworm the World Board MemberModerated by Kai Bucher, Associate Director, Media, World Economic Forum, USA Visit Deworm the World's website

Health Partners International (HPI) is currently recruiting for the following post 58The UK Department for International Development (DFID)-funded Maximizing the Quality of Scaling up Nutrition (SUN programme is designed to supply technical services to improve the quality of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programmes under a framework agreement. The geographic scope of the framework agreement is global and will include the 27 priority countries in Asia and Africa in which DFID has a bilateral programme.The programme will contribute to all four of the following objectives but will be particularly focused on the first two 58Reaching more adolescent girls, pregnant women and children under five years of age with nutrition specific interventionsDelivering greater impact from nutrition-sensitive programmesBuilding a more effective international response to under nutritionIdentifying new solutions to under nutrition on the basis of what worksThis position will be based in the United Kingdom. The post is expected to spend 5% time supporting core activities and 5% providing consulting services to the project. HPI is seeking to hire a Technical Adviser to focus on nutrition sensitive development interventions. This will involve advising on programme design and re-design across a range of sectors including agriculture, environmental health and cash transfer programmes to ensure they deliver nutrition results. The Adviser will be able to support the inclusion of the latest guidance and global evidence in nutrition sensitive research and programming into project activities, as well as ensuring the overall technical soundness of project activities. The Technical Adviser will 58 Ensure overall technical soundness of project activities. Write and review scopes of work for technical assignments in country to ensure they are technically sound.Ensure that technical consultants have the necessary support to function effectively, including briefing prior to assignment, background materials.Backstop consultants undertaking country level short and medium term assignmentsEnsure a high standard of technical quality of consultant products.Provide short term technical assistance at a country levelSupport effective project implementation and achievement of results, the synthesis of knowledge and lessons learned from project activities, and the strategic dissemination of knowledge.Ensure technical priorities of the project are undertaken in a manner consistent with the work plan and budget.Implement appropriate evaluation strategies for project activities.Acting as a technical resource for DFID staff on a full range on nutrition sensitive issues.RequirementsMasters or Doctoral level degree plus a minimum of 5 years of experience in implementing international projects, providing technical assistance. At least 3 years professional experience working in nutrition related programmes in low or middle income countries.Prior experience in global programmes supporting multiple activities (e.g., behaviour change, health systems strengthening, food security, service provider training, health policy, etc.) in several countries is desirableKnowledge of nutrition sensitive programming and the relevant socioeconomic, institutional, and policy issues related to nutrition.Excellent interpersonal and public communication skills with a strong track record of presentation skills, report writing, knowledge management and communicating for and with people.Demonstrated experience in supervision and mentoring.Experience in implementing monitoring and evaluation strategies.Demonstrated experience in developing and evaluating budgets.Ability to travel internationally up at least 3 percentPrior experience with DFID projects desirable.Closing Date 58 5pm (UK time) 3th November 2Applications 58 CV (max 3 pages) and Cover Letter (Job Ref 58 TA-N) to recruitment@healthpartners-int.co.uk

Nairobi, th November 2– Kenya officially launched the first National Neglected Tropical Diseases Strategic Plan at a colourful ceremony presided over by the Assistant Minister for Public Health and Sanitation, Hon. Dr James Gesami. The country becomes the first in the African Region to launch a Multi- Year (2-25) NTD strategic plan aimed at accelerating the control of NTDs in the country. In his key remarks, the Assistant Minister, Dr Gesami, highlighted the major NTDs in Kenya to include, Schistosomiasis, Soil Transmitted Helminthes, Lymphatic Filariasis, Trachoma, Leishmainasis and the Hydatid Disease. quotThese diseases constitute serious impediment to the socio-economic development and quality of life of affected persons, have enormous burden in terms of disease burden, loss of productivity and the aggravation of poverty and high cost of long term care quot 57Read WHO's report on the eventFind out more about NTDs

School Health and Nutrition 58 Lessons from around the worldThursday November 3rd 2 9 58 – 583UBHT Education Centre, Upper Maudlin Street, Bristol, BS2 8AEHealth and nutrition interventions delivered in school settings can translate into long-term health and economic benefits not simply by improving child health directly but by breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty. This meeting brings together world experts to examine where we are succeeding and failing in this area a decade after school health and nutrition strategieswere highlighted as a global priority at The World Education Forum in 2.Topics include 58School health amp nutrition update – a decade since DakarSchool nutrition programmes 58 advances and updatesSchool nutrition programmes in the UK – learning and health outcome lessonsSchool health programmes 58 advances and updatesThe WHO's Health Promoting Schools Framework 58 Progress on a Cochrane Systematic ReviewMeasuring the cost 58 Why we cannot afford to failThe Education Context 58 Lessons for us all to learnSpeakers include 58Prof Don Bundy (World Bank)Dr Simon Brooker (KEMRI-Wellcome)Dr Mike Nelson (School Food Trust)Ann Cotton OBE (CAMFED)Aulo Gelli (Partnership for Child Development)To attend this meeting visit the International Child Health Group website.

School feeding programmes that purchase their food from local smallholder farmers can support agricultural development in Africa was one of the key messages of 2 World Food Prize Laureate, H.E John A. Kufuor. Accepting the internationally renowned award, the former President of Ghana highlighted the role that national school feeding programmes can have in increasing the earning potential of Africa’s smallholder farmers, a group which make up around 5% of Africa’s population. H.E. Kufuor called upon development partners such as the World Food Programme, The Partnership for Child Development and the World Bank to continue working towards attaining food security through their support of national school feeding programmes. His comments, made during his keynote speech at the World Food Prize awards ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, build on his continued commitment to improve food security and combat hunger in Ghana and globally.Awarded annually, the World Food Prize Foundation honours outstanding individuals who have made vital contributions to improving the quality, quantity or availability of food throughout the world.H.E. Kufuor is acknowledged as having significantly improved national food security during his presidency through diverse initiatives including the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy which promoted long term investment in agricultural production. He also initiated the national school feeding programme which directly led to improved child nutrition as well as increased attendance at school.In H.E. Kufuor’s acceptance speech, he spoke of the great strides Ghana has made in agriculture development and food security, expressing that quotthis achievement belongs to the people of Ghana, particularly the farmers. quot 57He continued to emphasise the need to invest in food security stating quot˜It is clear that without meeting the needs of families for food we cannot meet our wider ambitions for the world,’ calling on both governments and partners to put social justice at the heart of their agendas. quotWith the right partnerships and with social justice at the heart of our plans, Africa can become the bread basket of the world quot 57PCD and H.E. Kufuor have joined together in partnership through a common interest in home grown school feeding. HGSF is an initiative that seeks to link school feeding programmes to local (or national) food production. As school feeding programmes run for a fixed number of days a year and have a pre-determined food basket, they can provide the opportunity to benefit local small holder farmers by generating a clear and stable demand. PCD, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is working to strengthen the knowledge base around HGSF and support national governments in changing their school feeding programmes to use locally sourced products.Through the initiation of the John A. Kufuor (JAK) Foundation, H.E. Kufuor is continuing to strengthen the partnership for the betterment of Ghana’s school children. Recognising that programmes such as the Ghana School Feeding Programme could not reach such success without good leadership, the JAK Foundation seeks to support the development of Africa’s future leaders.PCD Executive Director Lesley Drake, who also attended the World Food Prize ceremony, commented quotPCD and H.E. John Kufuor share a passion to improve food security and the health and nutrition of schoolchildren. At PCD we are privileged to be working with H.E. Kufuor on our HGSF initiative. H.E. Kufuor’s mission to improve food security has been acknowledged here at Des Moines and we wholeheartedly congratulate him on being awarded this much deserved World Food Prize. quot 57

​​​​A new charity which focuses on fighting preventable disease by promoting hygiene – the most cost effective public health intervention – launches in Sydney on quotGlobal Handwashing Day quot 57, October 5 2. The World Hygiene Programme (WHP) is working to build a public health agenda led by water, sanitation and hygiene (or quot quot˜WASH’) in developing countries, and a WASH agenda led by hygiene promotion. Their vision is a world where preventable diseases are not the world’s leading killer of children under five years old. Hygiene is the most cost effective way to prevent the two biggest killers of children – acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. Improved hygiene practices such as handwashing can reduce diarrhoeal illness by nearly 45 percent. Whereas introducing clean water reduces diarrhoeal illness by only 2 percent. Despite this hygiene receives only a tenth of the money that is spent on WASH. WHP will focus a spotlight on hygiene by 58 Lobbying decision makers to prioritise hygiene. Developing free online courses in hygiene and WASH. Disseminating high quality information and tools on hygiene. Offering free hygiene promotion advice and direction to water charities. Developing strategic partnerships with other WASH organisations to help prioritise hygiene.Founder of the WHP, Mark Eddleston says, quot quotSimple techniques such as handwashing can have a dramatic effect on reducing preventable disease. It’s not enough to bring clean water and sanitation to a remote village or urban slum, you need the community to engage in improved hygiene practices in order for them to be effective. quot quotWe’ve created the World Hygiene Programme in response to the lack of focus on hygiene. We know that through hygiene promotion we can dramatically reduce the second biggest killer of children around the world - diarrhoea. We want to work closely with those in the development community to ensure that hygiene promotion is a part of every new water or sanitation project quot quot 57. WHP’s first project is with Dutch NGO The Water Channel to create the world’s free, first open-source online courses in WASH. Courses will be aimed at those interested in learning about WASH and more specifically at the many charities that deliver water and sanitation projects whilst ignoring hygiene promoting. The WHP website contains a comprehensive set of resources and tools covering hygiene, handwashing, behaviour change, community-led total sanitation (CLTS), disgust, acute respiratory infections and diarrhoea. quot

Groups involved with deworming are still able to participate in the 2 Global NGO Deworming Inventory. By contributing to the Inventory you’ll help the global deworming community build stronger partnerships to more effectively treat children, and promote awareness of the work done by NGOs, FBOs, and other organizations to treat intestinal worms in children. What is the Global NGO Deworming Inventory?The Global NGO Deworming Inventory was launched in June of 2 with the explicit purpose of assessing the breadth and scope of NGO deworming activities and their treatment achievements worldwide. The Inventory collates data on NGO deworming activities and presents an overview of who is deworming where, and how many children are being treated. Data from the Inventory are then shared with the WHO Preventive Chemotherapy (PCT) Databank to compile NGO deworming data with data from Ministries of Health and measure collective progress towards the World Health Assembly (WHA) target of treating 75% of school age children at risk of infection with intestinal worms. Results from the 29 InventoryTwenty-four NGOs participated in the 29 Deworming Inventory and reported about 2.8 million treatments (school-age children treated with a deworming drug), of which 2.8 million were unique treatments not previously captured in the WHO databank. These numbers indicate that there is a notable amount of deworming conducted by NGOs that is not recognized at the global level and therefore not reflected in measurements of global progress towards reaching the WHA target. Visit the 29 Inventory Reports page for treatment reports by country, organization, and for a full report on the 29 Inventory results.You are Invited to ParticipateThe 2 Deworming Inventory strives to continue highlighting the achievements of NGO deworming programs and ensure that your efforts are accounted for at the global level. We thank all organizations that participated in last year's Inventory and extend the invitation to all organizations with deworming programs to participate in the 2 Deworming Inventory. How to participatePlease download the 2 Treatment Reporting Form​, complete the requested items to describe your deworming program and achievements, and submit the completed form to info@deworminginventory.org. Alternatively, if you have your own deworming program report, please send the report to info@deworminginventory.org. What Happens to the Data SubmittedAs treatment data are collected, country-level aggregated reports will be developed and posted on the Highlighted Reports page of the Inventory website. For more information about the Inventory, please visit the Inventory website. For any concerns or clarifications, please email 58 info@deworminginventory.org.

Press release from Deworm the World, Patna, India Over 7 million children in Bihar were provided with deworming treatment as part of one of the largest school-based deworming efforts ever conducted in the world. The announcement was made jointly by the Department of Health amp Family Welfare, Department of Human Resource Development and global initiative Deworm the World as they reported the results of Bihar’s first-ever state-wide school-based deworming programme implemented earlier this year from February through April 2. Bihar has a very high rate of parasitic worm infection, with all school-age children at risk and more than 5% school-age children infected in most districts, according to prevalence surveys conducted in 2 – by Deworm the World. As worm infections damage children’s health, education and development, all school-age children in Bihar – nearly 2 million – were targeted for deworming by this programme. Infected children are more likely to suffer from malnutrition and anaemia, resulting in children who are either too sick or too tired to concentrate in class or to attend school. This can cause lifelong harm to a child with research showing that children who remain infected earn 43% less as adults, and are 3% less likely to be literate. Fortunately, treating worm infection is as easy as administering a deworming tablet once or twice each year to all school-age children. The medication is safe for both infected and uninfected children, and delivery through schools ensures the greatest coverage and impact. Deworming children in schools, where the treatment is administered by teachers and supported by healthcare staff, is a simple and cost-effective way to improve children’s health and their ability to learn, and has been shown to reduce school absenteeism by as much as 25%.This massive first-time deworming programme in Bihar was launched and implemented under the direction of the State School Health Coordination Committee, an inter-sectoral committee of the Department of Health amp Family Welfare and Department of Human Resource Development in coordination with Deworm the World, which is an initiative dedicated to supporting the scale-up of school-based deworming programmes globally. Mr. Amarjeet Sinha, Principal Secretary of the Department of Health amp Family Welfare and Mr. Anjani Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary of the Department of Human Resource Development jointly said quotwhen there is horizontal collaboration between different government departments, an otherwise unimaginable scale of accomplishment, such as that achieved by the school-based deworming programme in Bihar, becomes possible in a very short period of time quot. Mr. Rajesh Bhushan, State Project Director of Bihar Education Project Council and Secretary of Public Relations Department said quota strong three-way partnership amongst Department of Human Resource Development, Department of Health amp Family Welfare and Deworm the World along with elaborate advance planning and large-scale training of education and health personnel led to the programme's success. quot 57 Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of Department of Health amp Family Welfare and Executive Director of State Health Society Bihar said quotit is remarkable that such a technically simple intervention, as regular and systematic deworming, can have such a profound effect on the nutritional, health and education status of millions of children quot 57. During the programme, nearly 4, teachers throughout Bihar were trained to deliver the medication, supported by 2, healthcare staff trained specifically for this programme, and quotDeworming Day quot 57 and quotMop-up Day quot 57 was held in government schools throughout the state in 3 phases in February, March and April 2 on the 7th and th of each month. The programme treated both enrolled and non-enrolled children between the ages of and 4 through a network of over 7, government schools state-wide. Children who receive treatment benefit immediately – previous research shows that school participation increases and children are better able to learn in school. The State School Health Coordination Committee is actively considering implementing a second round of deworming in 22, with the goals of continuing treatment for the millions of children already reached, and expanding the programme to include even more school-age children in Bihar.The large scale of the Bihar programme exemplifies the success and positive impact of school-based deworming. According to Dr. Lesley Drake, Executive Director of Deworm the World, quotthere are very few interventions which are as safe, as cost effective and as easy to administer as deworming. For less than 25 rupees per year, a child can be free from worms and free to learn. The children of Bihar are already experiencing the benefits of treatment, and we will continue to support state governments in their efforts to ensure that millions more across India can live healthy lives and fully reap the benefits of education. quot 57 Deworm the World previously supported the Government of Andhra Pradesh to launch a school-based deworming programme and is currently in discussions with officials from key departments in the government and municipal corporation in Delhi to launch a deworming programme targeting pre-schoolers through anganwadis and school-age children through schools in the National Capital Territory. Ms. Prerna Makkar, Regional Director – South Asia of Deworm the World said quotBihar provides a model that can be rapidly scaled-up in additional states and sustained over time to improve the education, health and productivity of school-age children quot 57.For more information about Deworm the World visit www.dewormtheworld.org

This week saw the parliamentary launch of the UK Coalition against Neglected Tropical Diseases which brings together leading UK organisations with the aim of controlling and eradicating these diseases. The neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of 3 parasitic and bacterial infections that affect over .4 billion people, 9% of whom live in Africa, Asia and South America. NTDs are both a cause and a consequence of poverty, causing mortality, disability, stigma and reducing the educational and employment opportunities of the world’s poorest people. The Coalition was launched by the Rt. Hon Hilary Benn MP in a special meeting held in the UK Parliament. He welcomed the formation of the Coalition, noting that quotwe are stronger together than apart. quot 57 Rt. Hon Hilary Benn 58 quotIf we can combine our expertise it can result in progress in defeating these terrible diseases. We all have a responsibility. What is clear is that we need more funding, we need more attention. He continued, quotAll of the world’s children have the right to live without these diseases and we have a moral obligation to make this happen quot 57. Speakers at the launch in Parliament included Dr Lesley Drake of Partnership for Child Development, Imperial College London. Dr Drake emphasised the importance of including the education sector in the control of NTDs and the success seen by school-based deworming programmes.Dr Lesley Drake 58 quotIt is clear that school based deworming is an investment that governments are increasingly willing to take. We can track the deworming pills, we can track the pounds and we have shown how the money has been effectively spent. There is therefore great value in the UK NTD Coalition as it will undoubtedly lead to governments taking ownership of school based deworming programmes. quot 57 Dr Paul Emerson of the Carter Centre UK summed up the premise of many of the presentations by stating 58 quot[with NTDs] we are talking about reaching hundreds of millions of people. The need for pilot programmes is over – we know what to do and how to do it. We now just need to be supported to go out there and do it. quot 57 Vice chair of the All-Party parliamentary Group on Malaria and NTDs – Lord Rea – encouraged participants not to forget about the quotbottom billion quot 57 people in the world who are living in poverty and are particularly prone to NTDs. The UK Coalition against NTDs is a collaborative partnership between The Carter Centre, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Partnership for Child Development, Schistosomiasis Control Initiative and Sightsavers. Find out moreWhat progress has been made on NTD control since 29 – reportWhat is the UK Coalition against Neglected Tropical Diseases

It is estimated that there are up to 2 billion people in the developing counties who require some form of vision correction to see clearly. Of this over 8million are school-aged children. The vast majority of these people do not have access to eye examinations or pair of glasses because there just aren’t enough optometrists and the glasses are too expensive anyway.This can have a damaging effect on children’s education, with those with poor vision having increased school absenteeism, reduced ability to learn and poorer career prospects. To address this problem eye care experts and education specialists have been developing, trialling and honing a new generation of affordable self-adjustable glasses which will enable children in the most resource poor areas to see clearly.Click here to find out more about child vision in the developing world.​ Key Resources Report of the 2nd Oxford Conference on Vision for Children in the Developing WorldDeclaration from the 2nd Oxford Conference on Vision for Children in the Developing WorldThe Child Self-Refraction Study 58 Results from Urban Chinese Children in Guangzhou (Journal of Ophthalmology)

Next week sees the launch of the UK NTD Coalition which aims to promote awareness and action on NTDs by bringing together UK organisations and policy makers. As well as the coalition launch the second report of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Malaria and NTDs is also being released. This report highlights the progress being made to control NTDs and will inform UK parliamentarians of the current global situation. The launch of the Coalition and Report will be marked during a meeting in Parliament on Tuesday 3 September at 3pm (in Thatcher Room, Portcullis House, Westminster). If you would like to attend this event please contact the APPG coordinator- Susan Dykes susanmdykes@gmail.com.Lesley Drake, Executive Director of Partnership for Child Development (PCD) and Deworm the World (DtW) will be sharing her experiences of working on the partnership approach to school based deworming. As you may know, more than 4 million school-age children are infected with parasitic worms. It has been shown that these worms harm children’s health and development and limits their participation in school. Deworming is widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective ways to improve educational achievement among school-aged children.Deworm the World since it was formed in DtW has reached 2 million children in 27 countries by supporting governments to develop, sustain and expand national school based deworming programmes. During the Parliamentary meeting presentations will also be made by David Molyneux (Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases) Dr Paul Emerson (Carter Centre) Professor Alan Fenwick (Schistosomiasis Control Initiative), Archana Patel (Sightsavers), Dr Lorenzo Savioli (World Health Organisation). Further informationInformation about the APPG meetingDeworm the WorldSchistosomiasis Control Initiative

UNESCO (on behalf of all FRESH Partners) is seeking a monitoring and evaluation expert with experience in school health to support the finalization of an M ampE framework for school health. All interested candidates should send a CV and brief letter of motivation to Ms. Ramya Vivekanandan at UNESCO e-mail (r.vivekanandan@unesco.org) or fax (+33 45 8 5 3) by Friday, 2 September 2 at 5 583pm CST. Listed below is a shortened job description, for a complete job description please click here.BackgroundSince 2, the internationally agreed FRESH (Focusing Resources on Effective School Health) framework has guided partners around the world on the basic principles for implementing school health programmes. The FRESH framework comprises four major components, notably policies, environment, services and skills-based health education. These pillars guide the work of the different FRESH partners.Effective monitoring and evaluation (M ampE) is essential if comprehensive school health programs, as outlined by the FRESH framework, are to be scaled up and sustained. Many resources have been developed by organizations to assist the M ampE of school health programs and many more M ampE resources exist within each health area (HIV/AIDS, nutrition, water and sanitation) with school aspects. The diversity of M ampE resources that exists reflects the fact that school health programs are contextual and no one size fits all. Over the past two years, however, FRESH partners (through a Coordinating Group ) have been working on a generic M ampE framework for school health interventions in low and middle income settings, which brings together the various sets of M ampE guidance into one document. The need for such a framework was first identified during a participative review that took place in 28, and then endorsed at a meeting of FRESH partners at WHO, Geneva, in September 28.In October 2, another meeting of FRESH partners was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The purpose of this meeting was to review a draft M ampE framework, identify gaps and decide upon next steps to finalize the framework. The major next step identified during the Paris meeting was the recruitment of a Consultant to work on finalising the framework and other key identified tasks. This Terms of Reference (TOR) lays out the major tasks, timeline and budgetary requirements for the Consultant position. PurposeThe purpose of contracting the Consultant is to complete and improve the current M ampE framework and produce a penultimate draft which can be put in the public domain for wider review, field testing, finalisation and dissemination.. The aim is to have a pre-pilot version of the framework for presentation at the next meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education, which is scheduled for the week of 3 November 2 in Washington DC. Expected Results (Deliverables)Under the supervision of the Coordinating Group, the Consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables/tasks with the ultimate goal of producing a penultimate M ampE framework for school health 58Undertake the first revision of the framework based on comments and inputs from the Coordinating Group. This will include 58 completing gaps in indicators for summary, impact and thematic areas using a pre agreed format ensuring consistency in the way that indicators are presented and described and adding process indicators (if agreed by Coordinating Group)Attend and present the first revision at the meeting of the Coordinating Group in LondonFinalise framework based on recommendations made during the Coordinating Group meeting Integrate remaining comments made by the Coordinating and Advisory Groups after reviewPrepare a presentation of the framework, for the IATT on Education MeetingPresent the framework at the IATT on Education Symposium ConditionsThe Consultant will be home-based and will report directly to the FRESH Coordinating Group members and specifically to Ms. Ramya Vivekanandan at UNESCO. Commencing duties around 5 September 2, the coordinator is expected to deliver the pre-pilot version of the M ampE framework by 7 November 2. Other deliverable dates are outlined in the table above. The contract will include travel expenses for the Consultant’s travel to the meeting of the Coordinating Group in London in October 2 and to the IATT on Education Symposium in Washington in November 2. Required skillsThe key skills, technical background and experience required of the Coordinator include the following 585- yrs experience in monitoring and evaluation of health and/or education programs, particularly indicator developmentExperience in school health preferable Excellent coordination and liaison skills. Ideally the Coordinator will have experience in coordinating initiatives and/or activities between different international organizations.Excellent writing skillsFluency in EnglishFor a complete job description click here.

Nigeria Programme ManagerPartnership for Child DevelopmentPost to be based at Action Health Incorporated, Lagos NigeriaSalary Range $2,- $25, per annum Applications are invited for the post of Programme Manager to join the Partnership for Child Development (PCD). PCD is an organisation committed to improving the education, health and nutrition of school-age children and youth in low-income countries. Home Grown School Feeding The Partnership for Child Development has launched a new programme that will support government action to deliver cost effective school feeding programmes in sub-Saharan Africa. The Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) programme supports government action to deliver sustainable, nationally owned school feeding programmes sourced from local farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme provides direct, evidence-based and context-specific support and expertise for the design and management of school feeding programmes linked to local agricultural production. PCD is seeking to recruit a Nigeria Programme Manager to provide an efficient professional service and to be the focal point supporting the delivery of the SHN/HGSF programme in Nigeria. The focal point will facilitate activities, foster partnerships on the ground and work to support in-country stakeholders to enable clear articulation of SHN/HGSF programme needs. ResponsibilitiesThe post holder will be responsible for the administration, organisation and coordination to the HGSF programmes, providing technical assistance and managing relationships with partners and donors both international and in country.RequirementsApplicants should hold at least a bachelors degree (masters degree preferred) in international development, agriculture, education or related field with sufficient work experience. He/she must have proven experience of formulation, planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of development projects in general and in particular education projects, including the management of school canteens and working knowledge of national policy for food security and health nutrition. Experience of implementing school feeding programmes in Sub Saharan Africa would be an advantage. Applicants should be motivated, well organised and able to work effectively independently and as part of a team. Additional informationThis full time post is for a fixed-term of one years, renewable for up to three years. All appointments will normally be made at the bottom of the salary rangeFor informal enquiries and to receive more information including the job description, please contact Daniel Mumuni, West Africa Regional Manager- d.mumuni@hgsf-global.org or Abigail Deamer, Operations Manager - a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to d.mumuni@hgsf-global.org and a.deamer@imperial.ac.uk by the 9th September.

Including children with disabilities - How can the education sector respond?Children with disabilities are less likely to attend and complete school putting at risk international targets for Education for All is one of the findings of the recently released World Report on Disability. Produced by the World Bank and by WHO the report suggests that the estimated 5 million children with disabilities face numerous barriers to education including stigma and discrimination. This exclusion can lead to poor health and education outcomes. Sergio Meresman, Rosangela Berman Bieler and Katia Edmundo assess what challenges and responses SHN programmes face in mainstreaming inclusion in education. They highlight the work of the Everyone's School programme in Brazil and Uruguay which is supporting SHN programmes to find a response to exclusion from education. Find out more Read Including children with disabilities 58 challenges and responses in SHN programmesDownload the education chapter from the World Report on Disability

by Anita Snow, The Associated Press Jul 2, 2Schools and hospitals were designated by the U.N. Security Council as safe havens for children threatened by war.Led by visiting German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, the council voted unanimously to have the U.N. chief quotname and shame quot national security forces and other armed groups that target schools and hospitals in conflicts, often killing, maiming or sexually violating children. The resolution spearheaded by Germany also called on all countries to take action to help stop the growing practice. quotBecause children are very often the first victims of violence and conflict, we must do what we can to protect them, quot Westerwelle said.Jo Becker, advocacy director for children's rights at Human Rights Watch, said that a U.N. blacklist of groups responsible for school and hospital attacks could have quota real impact. quot quotWhat this does is puts them on notice, quot Becker said. quotIt stigmatizes them. quotShe said a similar blacklisting of national security forces and other armed groups that recruit child soldiers has had some success.The move comes as schools around the world are increasingly singled out by armed combatants, both as targets for violent attacks and as a recruiting ground for underaged fighters.Cases have been documented in at least 3 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. They include the storming of a high school by Maoist rebels in India, more than 7 attacks on schools over the past year by the Taliban in Pakistan, and a shootout outside a school in northern Mexico that prompted a kindergarten teacher to have her students lie on the floor to avoid being hit while she calmed them with a song. quotMillions of children bear the brunt of war 58 killed, maimed, orphaned, quot Anthony Lake, executive director of the United Nations' children's agency UNICEF told the council. Boys and girls in many countries, he said, are quotforced to flee their homes, sexually assaulted, pressed into the service of armed groups, and exposed to unspeakable violence. quotThese horrific acts are not only a violation of international and humanitarian law. They are a violation of our common humanity, quot Lake said.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said after the meeting that he was pleased that the protection of schools and hospitals would now be treated as an international peace and security issue.

​​​​​​​​Are you involved in a deworming programme? If so the good folk at Deworming Inventory would like you to tell them about it at the 2 Global NGO Deworming Inventory. This annual census aims to help ensure the deworming work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), faith-based organizations (FBOs) and other independent organizations is recognized and counted. What is the Global NGO Deworming Inventory?The Global NGO Deworming Inventory was launched in June of 2 with the explicit purpose of assessing the breadth and scope of NGO deworming activities and their treatment achievements worldwide. The Inventory collates data on NGO deworming activities and presents an overview of who is deworming where, and how many children are being treated. Data from the Inventory are then shared with the WHO Preventive Chemotherapy (PCT) Databank to compile NGO deworming data with data from Ministries of Health and measure collective progress towards the World Health Assembly (WHA) target of treating 75% of school age children at risk of infection with intestinal worms. Results from the 29 InventoryTwenty-four NGOs participated in the 29 Deworming Inventory and reported about 2.8 million treatments (school-age children treated with a deworming drug), of which 2.8 million were unique treatments not previously captured in the WHO databank. These numbers indicate that there is a notable amount of deworming conducted by NGOs that is not recognized at the global level and therefore not reflected in measurements of global progress towards reaching the WHA target. Visit the 29 Inventory Reports page for treatment reports by country, organization, and for a full report on the 29 Inventory results.You are Invited to ParticipateThe 2 Deworming Inventory strives to continue highlighting the achievements of NGO deworming programs and ensure that your efforts are accounted for at the global level. We thank all organizations that participated in last year's Inventory and extend the invitation to all organizations with deworming programs to participate in the 2 Deworming Inventory. How to participatePlease download the 2 Treatment Reporting Form, complete the requested items to describe your deworming program and achievements, and submit the completed form to info@deworminginventory.org. Alternatively, if you have your own deworming program report, please send the report to info@deworminginventory.org. If you choose to submit your own program report, please make sure it includes all the required data elements as specified in the Treatment Reporting Guidelines.What Happens to the Data Submitted​​​As treatment data are collected, country-level aggregated reports will be developed and posted on the Highlighted Reports page of the Inventory website. Please see the reports published for 29 data to see how data will be compiled and presented. For more information about the Inventory, please visit the Inventory website. For any concerns or clarifications, please email 58 info@deworminginventory.org.

by Don Bundy, Lead Health and Education specialist at the Human development Network, World BankIn the complex world of education policy, experts comment that deworming may be the closest we have come to finding a quotmagic bullet. quot In regions of the world with high worm burdens, such as Africa and South Asia, deworming children for mere pennies a year results in an incredible range of benefits, from higher attendance rates, to healthier children more able to learn.Deworming has already proven to be one of the most cost-effective education interventions, but new research suggests that deworming children can also result in long-term benefits, including higher wages, better health and stronger communities. Michael Kremer, co-Founder of Deworm the World and Gates Professor of Economics at Harvard, presented his findings from a new study in Kenya at the Bank last week.Globally, more than in 4 people are infected by intestinal worms. In Sub-Saharan Africa high infection rates prevail, particularly among school children. Worms cause can anemia, stunting and lethargy. The program in Kenya targeted school children in areas of high infection, using advanced geomapping techniques developed by the www.thiswormyworld.org project.Schools are the best delivery mechanism for reaching children with safe, mass school-based treatments. Promising findings of long-term impact in Kenya showed participants had higher wages, fewer sick days, more work hours, and higher-level occupations. Even better, the treatment resulted in positive externalities, including improvements in the health of untreated children, younger siblings, and neighbouring communities.Originally piloted by Deworm the World, the successful Kenya program was later absorbed into the national education strategy and rolled out to 3 /2 million people. To replicate the program's success, three states in India have embarked on piloting a similar approach to reach 35 million school children.A panel led by World Bank Education Director, Elizabeth King, and Director of Human Development for Africa, Ritva Reinikka, discussed the cross-sectoral dimensions of deworming children. King focuses on the potential of deworming to help achieve learning for all. quotWe oftentimes think about classroom inputs, quot said King. quotBut the most important input into the educational process is really the child, and his or her readiness to learn. quot quotEducation itself is a health intervention, quot followed Bob Prouty, Chief of the Education for All Fast Track Initiative Secretariat. quotBut we still need to make a clear case to donors that this is a smart investment. And capacity to implement is a problem. quotLesley Drake, Executive Director of Deworm the World at the Imperial College of London, tackled the question of how to replicate successful programs and mainstream deworming. A main challenge to deworming programs is a lack of medicine. Pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson amp Johnson have been stepping in as a corporate partners to donate a total of million deworming treatments a year - enough to cover every infected schoolchild in Africa. Deworming programs have clear cross-sectoral benefits that mandate cross-sectoral collaboration among health and education officials and corporate partners to maximize their impact.A webcast of the presentation can be watched here. Find more deworming resources on Schools and HealthPresentations from the seminarLesely drake - Deworm the WorldMichael Kremer - Harvard UniversityBob Prouty - EFA-FTIAndy Wright - GSKWilliam Lin - Johnson amp Johnson

School Health Coordinators from 7 Sub-Saharan Africa Ministries of Education (including 3 West African member states) gathered in Bamako, Mali this spring to participate in an annual technical workshop on School Health and Nutrition. Other participants present at the workshop included representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), World Food Programme (WFP), Partnership for Child Development (PCD), World Health Organization (WHO/AFRO), UNAIDS and UNESCO-BREDA.One of the key issues of this year’s workshop was to pilot the Systems Assessment and Benchmarking for Education Results (SABER) program for School Health and School Feeding. The SABER program is a key tool in the new World Bank Education Strategy for countries to assess how their programs are meeting the education needs of their school children, and to identify actions to address any gaps. This approach is also based on the Africa Region Strategy, specifically by addressing resilience and vulnerability, and by using a partnership approach to support national and regional responses.The purpose of this pilot exercise was for the countries to understand the framework, discuss whether the framework was user-friendly, and provide useful feedback to further simplify the process. The participants worked in country teams and each team was asked to complete templates for both School Health and School Feeding. The completed forms were then analyzed and presented during a plenary session.Results from the pilot exercise so far found the following 58 Most countries have activities in both in School Health and School Feeding. There is considerable variation in the coverage and quality of the programs, but it was notable that there were several high quality examples of good practice for the region. There was a strong feedback that the framework approach helped identify the strengths and challenges of the national programs. It also provided clear examples of good practice, and therefore indicated the goals for those areas where further work was necessary. The SABER-School Health program used the FRESH framework​ as its guiding principle to address four main areas. Countries had achieved greatest progress in the area of National Policy, followed by Health Education and Health Service Delivery. Providing a Safe and Supportive Environment at school remains the major challenge. The SABER-School Feeding framework uses five standards identified in a recent joint analysis. Here, Policy was the challenging area and most countries depended on external partners, especially the WFP, for implementation.Participants identified key areas of challenge in their own countries, and developed plans to improve their programs. The focal points are now working on implementing these plans in their respective countries and, in some instances, countries have requested technical assistance in rethinking their School Health and School Feeding programs. The School Health and Nutrition team revised the SABER framework and incorporated the recommendations and feedback received from the country representatives. The team is also planning to conduct further exercises in East amp Southern African countries later this year.Further resources 58SABER programECOWAS Bamako meetingECOWAS Bamako CommuniqueArticle by Fahma Nur and Andy Tembon, World Bank

​​​​​​​​​​​​WHO and countries around the world have launched the global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2-22. From New Zealand to Mexico and the Russian Federation to South Africa, governments are committing to take new steps to save lives on their roads. The Decade seeks to prevent road traffic deaths and injuries which experts project will take the lives of .9 million people annually by 22. Road traffic injuries have become the leading killer of young people aged 5–29 years. Almost .3 million people die each year on the world's roads, making this the ninth leading cause of death globally. In addition to these deaths, road crashes cause between 2 million and 5 million non-fatal injuries every year. In many countries, emergency care and other support services for road traffic victims are inadequate. These avoidable injuries overload already stretched health services.School based road safety education will play a vital role in reducing the number of accidents on the world's roads. Please find below a number of resources highlighting the work that ha​s already been done to instill road safety into school-aged children. Road Safety Education materials on SchoolsandHealth.orgAsian Development Bank 58 Road Safety Education of Children​Government of Bangl​adesh 58 Children's Traffic Education in BangladeshGovernment of Bangladesh_Development of Road Safety Education MaterialsTRL and DFID Road safety Education in developing countries Guidelines for good practice in primary schools 997 Road Safety Education Presentation_ROAD SAFETY EDUCATION presentation-Stein Lundebye World Bank 2 Safe Ways 58 A road safety education resource for teachers of P5sWhat To Do In Road Traffic in Denmark_Road Safety for Foreign Language Children Aged 4-7

Bamako, 3 April 2 – Delegates at the fifth Annual meeting of the Education sector network of school health and HIV/AIDS focal points in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Mauritania issued a communiqué identifying the positive impact of health and nutrition programmes on quality of member states education systems. In an effort to mobilise scarce resources and encourage collaboration between government ministries delegates from the 3 ECOWAS nations as well as Mauritania, DRC Congo and Uganda, issued a 4 point recommendation which included the integration of school feeding, deworming, HIV/AIDS and reproductive health into national school health policy. They also called on development partners such as Partnership for Child Development and WHO to provide technical support where necessary to support the development of these integrated school health programmes. Download the ECOWAS Bamako Communiqué. The conference also heard about the gains that the member countries were making to improve the educational achievement of children through national school health, nutrition and HIV/AIDS prevention programmes. Download the conference presentations here. Conference delegates visiting a school feeding programmeHealthy Child InitiativeBuilding on the success of ECOWAS members in actively including HIV prevention into their educational curriculum, a key theme of the conference was integrating wider school health interventions such as school based deworming, malaria control, school feeding programmes that purchase their food from local small holder farmers, early childhood development programmes into national school health policies. The meeting endorsed this approach through the adoption of the new World Bank-led Healthy Child Initiative. This programme aims to help children realise their potential through age specific school health programmes. The overall objective of this initiative is to develop a national approach that ensures that children are born healthy and then supported through their development. The World Bank is providing technical support and co-ordination as well as operational support to country projects, and is working to draw in investment from partners. quotAll countries present here have made remarkable progress in terms of access of children to school, quot said Mr Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Country Manager in Mali. quotHowever,a creating the conditions for health education and optimal nutrition will allow children to attend and be alert in school, and thus take advantage of the opportunities afforded to them in learning institutions. quot 57 Home Grown School FeedingAs part of the discourse on providing school feeding programmes sourced from local small holder farmers delegates were given a tour of Tienfala school just outside Bamako at which the Ministry of Education has been working with the local community, farming co-operatives, WFP and the school’s management committee to provide lunch time meals and develop cooking and processing facilities. This local procurement model for school feeding is inline with the work of the Home Grown School Feeding programme, a partnership being lead by Partnership for Child Development, WFP and the World Bank. HGSF programmes are looking to ensure that school children are able to benefit from nutritious locally grown food whilst at the same time the local small holder farmers (many of whose children attend the school) are able to gain access to and profit from the stable market that the school provides. Read more about the HGSF programmeThis meeting was held in the context of a partnership with the Government of Mali, through the Ministry of education, literacy and national languages, the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), ECOWAS, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)/ Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), the Fast Track Initiative (FTI), UNESCO through the Regional Education Office for Africa (BREDA), the World Bank, and the WHO, Africa Region (WHO/AFRO). Find out more with these related resourcesWatch news coverage of the event ECOWAS SHN Focal Point websiteAll conference presentationsThe ECOWAS Bamako Communiqué.Photos from the conference

A group of leading school health and nutrition experts have agreed that the internationally renowned short course in school health and nutrition will be held for the first time in Southeast Asia in November 2. The decision was made at a two day consultative workshop held in Bangkok by key school health, nutrition and HIV prevention (SHN) specialists from the Ministries of Education and Health in Southeast Asia.Taking a bottom up approach, delegates were asked to identify emerging school health challenges in the region, discuss training needs at multiple levels and develop a tailor made training curriculum. The delegates also heard briefings on the Home Grown School Feeding concept, community linkages in school health and the Partnership for Child Development’s experiences of co-ordinating short courses in SHN in sub-Saharan Africa. Tailored to meet training needsJoining delegates from Lao, Vietnam, Myanmar and Sri Lanka for this planning exercise were SHN experts from Thailand, Japan, Singapore and the UK were present to share experiences and best practice. Taking a collaborative and participatory approach a contemporary training course in school health amp nutrition, reflecting the region’s training needs, was agreed upon. The inaugural South East Asian Short Course in School Health amp Nutrition will be held in Bangkok in November 2. Further information on this course and how to apply will be posted on this site in July 2. Details of the th Annual short course in Africa will be posted on this site in the coming weeks so watch this space. Downloads​Ethics to training courses​Introduction to PCD and the FRESH framework​

The Inter-Agency Task Team on children affected by HIV and AIDS is a global multi-agency network of over 5 members working on issues related to children affected by HIV and AIDS. The website includes the latest information on current projects, research and working group activities. It also features new publications of interest to the children affected by AIDS community.More information at 58 www.iattcaba.org

Following on from the feedback received on the final day of the sixth annual short course on quotStrengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition amp HIV Prevention Programmes quot 57 and responding to a standing request from past participants, we have now developed a new exciting section on www.schoolsandhealth.org/pages/short_course.aspx compiling training material, working documents, photos and reports from 25, when this joint initiative was first launched in Kenya, to 2, when the course was held for a second consecutive year in Accra, Ghana.Resources available on the short course pages include 58Course concept documentShort course narrative reportPhotos and stats on the SHN short course flickr account Short Course Presentations

Maps showing the distribution and prevalence of worm infections in every African country were launched on 7 August. These maps, called This Wormy World www.thiswormyworld.org, are the first of a series of Global Atlas of Helminth Infections which provide a unique, open-access, free information resource vital for planning and implementing deworming programmes. It is estimated that more than 4 million children worldwide are infected with worms (helminths), 9 million in Africa alone. Worms damage children’s health, nutrition and educational achievement. Infections are most prevalent in poor communities where there is inadequate sanitation. The most common worm infections are soil-transmitted helminths (roundworm, whipworm and hookworm) and schistosomiasis. This Wormy World identifies areas in a country that most urgently require mass treatment to control infection and predicts the risk of infection in areas where data is lacking. The Global Atlas of Helminth Infections has been produced by an international collaboration lead by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College London. For a decade, the group has been gathering survey data to describe the distribution and prevalence of worm infection. Announcing This Wormy World at the 2th International Congress of Parasitology in Melbourne, Australia, founder of the project, Dr Simon Brooker from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK and KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya, said, quotWorm control is like a journey. The extent and location of the problem need to be mapped out in order to get treatment to where it is needed most. Until recently, much worm control has been a journey without reliable maps. quot 57 Worms can be controlled with safe, cheap and single-dose drugs and treatment is most effective with improvements in sanitation and health education. All too often, however, scarce resources are wasted because deworming programmes are targeted at the wrong communities. Until now, the information that policy makers and public health professionals need to plan their strategies has not been easily accessible.This Wormy World is unique because it brings together all the available information in one standardised, geo-referenced database. quotOur aim with the atlas is to provide up-to-date, reliable maps for those involved in practical control, especially in Africa where information is lacking, quot 57 said Dr Brooker. quotAround one quarter of the Ugandan population is at risk of worm infections. The atlas shows in great detail the communities that are most and least affected. Therefore, targeting our deworming programmes accurately could make a dramatic difference to the health and education of adults and children in our country, quot 57 said Dr Narcis Kabatereine, head of Neglected Tropical Disease Control Programme, Ugandan Ministry of Health.The atlas initially focuses on infections in Africa, where the burden of worms and the need for reliable maps is greatest. The group plans to produce similar maps for all other countries in the world by the end of 2. The longer-term goal is to produce a global atlas of all neglected tropical diseases, including lymphatic filariasis and river blindness (onchocerciasis) and work is already underway to develop a Global Atlas of Trachoma, in collaboration with the International Trachoma Initiative The goal supports the recent commitment of the Obama administration to provide more than US$ million annually for neglected tropical disease. quotGood health is essential for learning. Programmes that improve children’s health can be among the most cost-effective ways to improve education outcomes in poor communities, quot 57 said Donald Bundy from The World Bank, USA, co-founder with Dr Brooker of This Wormy World. quotThis first atlas of worm infections in African countries is a major step forward in tackling neglected tropical diseases throughout the world. quot 57 Download the full press release

In 29 Save the Children’s School Health and Nutrition (SHN) programmes reached over 2 million children in 2 countries. In this programme update, Save the Children highlight their work in 29 to address the inadequate resources for and awareness about water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Theyalso present results from their programmes in Bangladesh, Malawi and Mali. Download the SNH program update​

The thAnnual Course on Strengthening Contemporary School Health and Nutrition amp HIV Programmes to be held 8 -7 June 2 in Accra, Ghana,is now open to registrations. This day international course is designed to meet the needs of educationalists, public health professionals and community development workers The interactive and participatory course aims to strengthen the capacity of the health and education sectors to respond effectively to the needs of school-age populations at the country level. Registration deadline is 22 April 2 and places for this popular course are limitedso you are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Find out more and register

Aulo Gelli and Kristie Neeser from PCD’s Home Grown School Feeding Programme were recently interviewed for Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s popular radio show, The Health Report. Broadcast on Monday 8 MarchAulo and Kristie discuss the benefits and pitfalls of School Feeding and how the work of the Home Grown School Feeding grant will help support national governments in sub-Saharan Africa to develop cost-effective locally-sourced school feeding programmes. The Home Grown School Feeding Programme, supported in part by a $2 million grant from the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation, will help governments to run school meal programmes using locally-sourced food, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers, the majority of whom are women, while improving the education, health, and nutrition of children. Presented by Dr Norman Swan and broadcast across Australia on Radio National, Health Report is a valued source of information and analysis on health and medical matters for professionals and the general public alike. Click here to listen to interview Find out more about Home Grown School Feeding

Malaria Control in Schools toolkit aims to enable education professionals to develop effective programmes on the prevention and control of malaria for school-age children within malaria endemic countries. Practical up-to-date information and experience on the control of malaria in schools is presented with both technical and policy advice on malaria, and how countries can plan and implement school-based malaria interventions. Download Malaria Control in Schools​

Deworm the World (DtW) and their Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) education mega-commitment partners will deworm 2 million school-age children across 2 countries in 29, doubling the original commitment target for year one of million children in 9 countries. Under the 28 education mega-commitment on school feeding and deworming aimed at improving the education and health of millions of children worldwide, DtW, together with Feed The Children, the World Food Programme, American Institutes for Research, and other partners, support and advocate for government action leading to the development of strategically targeted, sustainable, school-based deworming programs. Focusing on the at-risk school-age populations in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, deworming coverage will increase, with additional funding, to reach up to 75 million children over three years. A chronic condition, parasitic worms affect over 4 million school-age children worldwide, harming their health, nutrition and cognitive development, and threatening their educational access and learning. Mass school-based deworming is a safe, simple and cost-effective solution. At a cost of less than $.5 per child per year, deworming can reduce school absenteeism by 25% and is one of the most cost-effective methods of improving school participation ever rigorously evaluated. An education policy priority, deworming is a crucial step towards achieving universal primary education and improving children's long-term productivity. DtW coordinates action among implementing partners, linking medication to country programs, raising additional funds for their distribution where required, and providing technical and strategic support to develop and strengthen deworming policy and programs. Leveraging the quotbest buy quot power of school-based deworming, DtW expanded coverage to 2 million additional school-age children at an investment of only two million dollars ($. per child) in 29. Following the announcement of quot2 for 2, quot DtW is seeking to increase coverage in 2 to 5 million school-age children for under five million dollars. These programs are ready to launch as soon as additional funding is secured. This funding will increase the supply and distribution of medication, expand on the ground technical support for governments, and establish a global web-portal, enabling open access to worm infection data and documenting real-time global deworming activities for improved strategic targeting and program design. If there are any quotsilver bullets quot or quotbest buys quot for the education sector, then deworming is surely one. To learn more about how you can take action, visit www.dewormtheworld.org or email contact@dewormtheworld.org.

A new project that aims to both help local farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and to provide healthy school meals for local children launches today. The project, run by the Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College London, is supported in part by a $2 million grant from the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation. The programme will help governments to run school meal programmes using locally-sourced food, providing regular orders and a reliable income for local farmers. While many countries in sub-Saharan Africa already have school meal programmes in place, these programmes are traditionally run by international aid agencies, mostly using imported food. The new initiative will work in conjunction with education, health and agricultural sectors, social workers and international development partners, such as the World Bank and the World Food Programme. Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of whom are women, can often find it difficult to earn enough money to feed their families. They typically have small patches of land where they are only able to grow small amounts or poor quality food because they cannot afford modern seeds and fertilisers, and lack access to a regular and lucrative market to sell their goods. quotBy putting school feeding programmes using locally-sourced food in place, we can ensure that the smallholder farmers who supply the food get a reliable income that helps them look after their families and improve their businesses. We want to give them the skills and know-how to shape their own futures and beat poverty, quot 57 said Dr Lesley Drake, project lead, from the Partnership for Child Development at Imperial College London. Through the new project, the Partnership aims to ensure a reliable and fair market for local farmers’ products. The project will work with African governments and local partners to identify and provide the information, expertise, and training smallholder farmers will need in order to produce nutritious foods in the right quantity and quality for the school meal programmes. The first countries expected to benefit from the project will be Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Malawi and Kenya. In addition to helping governments run school meal programmes, the project will also be conducting a series of studies to analyse their cost and impact. Previous studies have suggested that government-led school meal programmes can improve rural economies and create jobs and profits in addition to providing healthy food and improving access to education for children. The researchers hope to build on these case studies to produce an accurate picture of the impact of school meal programmes on farmers and children. According to the UN, more than million children go to school hungry every day worldwide. Research has shown that providing free, nutritious school lunches can improve children’s health, giving them an incentive to enrol in classes and improve their attendance at school. Studies have also shown that school meals can improve children’s concentration and learning ability. Dr Drake said 58 quotMillions of school children are facing poverty and hunger every day. For many of them, a school meal is the only reliable, nutritious meal they get each day and it is often the reason they go to school. Getting an education is really important for these kids, as it helps them to get jobs and break out of the poverty cycle. We hope our new project will help governments make sure these children are fed and educated. This grant is part of the Bill amp Melinda Gates Foundation Agricultural Development initiative, which is working with a wide range of partners to provide millions of small farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families. The foundation is working to strengthen the entire agricultural value chain quot”from seeds and soil to farm management and market access quot”so that progress against hunger and poverty is sustainable over the long term. Find out more

The 28 Innocenti Process was initiated by the Micronutrient Forum to critically examine knowledge related to program implementation in real world settings. The results of this process reveal much about scaling up interventions but they also reveal that large gaps remain in our understanding of the capabilities, resources, and strategies needed to implement programs effectively and to demonstrate measurable and meaningful impact. The report provides concrete recommendations ( quotCall to Action quot) on how the Micronutrient Community can begin to fill these large gaps and improve the effective implementation of efficacious interventions at scale. Read the report

The award winning documentary on school health in Eritrea One Childhoodwas aired on VOXAFRICA in June 29. The film relates the Eritrean success in supporting the development of its children through seamlessly delivering a school health programme, even in the most inaccessible communities, as a direct consequence of a strong partnership between the education and health sectors. For more information on the film and other films in this series, visit quot˜One childhood’ page​.

In May 29, GCNF and Joint Aid Management (JAM) are partnering together to host the th Annual Global Child Nutrition Forum in Cape Town, South Africa. The theme for the Forum is 58 A Catalyst for Development 58 Linking Sustainable School Feeding and Local Farm Production. The schedule is 58 - Sunday, May 3, 29 – School Feeding Roundtable (Starts at noon.) - Monday, May 4, 29 – School Feeding Roundtable - Tuesday, May 5, 29 – Plenary sessions - Wednesday, May , 29 – Plenary sessions - Thursday, May 7, 29 – Field trip to visit school feeding sites in Cape Town area - Friday, May 8, 29 – Workshop using School Feeding Toolkit - Saturday, May 9, 29 – Workshop using School Feeding Toolkit You can find more information on the Global Child Nutrition Forum.

8-29 May 29 quotTeachers and HIV amp AIDS 58 Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges quot online forum. UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education are organizing an E-Forum on quotTeachers and HIV amp AIDS 58 Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges quot 57 from 8 to 29 May 29. This Forum aims to promote the exchange of views and experiences on the contribution of teachers to HIV prevention and mitigation efforts and the impact of the epidemic on teachers. The outcomes of the Forum will also directly feed into the Spring meeting of the UNAIDS IATT on Education, hosted by Irish Aid in Limerick, Ireland in June 29, which has quot˜Teachers and HIV amp AIDS 58 Reviewing achievements, identifying challenges’ as its Symposium theme. A report on the outcomes of the discussion will also be available more widely on the IIEP’s HIV and AIDS Education Clearinghouse following the Forum. The organizers are inviting a wide range of stakeholders to join the Forum including educational planners, policy-makers, representatives of teachers’ unions, members of HIV-positive teacher networks, teachers and other education sector staff, civil society stakeholders, donors, UNAIDS Cosponsors and other multilateral agencies, and colleagues who work on HIV and AIDS responses in other sectors. To join the Forum, please send an e-mail message to 58 hiv-aids-clearinghouse@iiep.unesco.org, stating your name, title, organization and nationality. We will then send you detailed instructions on how to access the Forum and to contribute to the discussion. Please note that you can sign up anytime prior to or during the Forum but the Forum will be active only from 8 May. More information is contained within the attached document.

The 4th Southern African AIDS Conference is taking place in Durban, South Africa, from 3 March to 3 April 29. The theme for this year's conference is quotScaling up for success quot. More information is available on the South African AIDS Conference website.

2-24 April 29 58Accra, Ghana UNESCO’s International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP) and UNESCO’s Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA) are under increasing demand to provide planners and managers with the requisite skills to address the impact of HIV and AIDS on the education sector. Existing techniques have to be adapted and new tools developed to prepare personnel to better manage and mitigate the impact of the pandemic. For this reason, IIEP and BREDA are organizing a workshop on quot˜Educational planning and management in a world with AIDS’ that will be held in Ghana on 2-24 April 29. The workshop will bring Ministry of Education delegates together with representatives from different faculties of education and training centres that actively train educational planners and administrators across Anglophone West Africa. Based on a series of modules jointly prepared by IIEP and Edusector AIDS Response Trust, it will show participants how such materials can be used in their own courses and adapted to their national context.

The Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EFA- FTI) biennial Partnership meeting is taking place 2th – 2st April in Copenhagen, Denmark. The focus is quot˜The Road to 25’ and it is open to all EFA FTI partners. The meeting will focus on the following three themes 58 / Hard-to-reach children, 2/ the quality of learning and 3/ resource mobilization and aid effectiveness. This meeting will be followed by meetings of the 'Catalytic Fund Committee' and 'Education Program Development Fund Committee' on 22nd April, and by the 'Education Transition Fund Committee' on 23rd April. A separate 'FTI Steering Committee' meeting will be held on Sunday April 9, 29.You can find further information and register online.

'5th Annual Course on 58 Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes' Following the sustained success of the international annual course on Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes, we are delighted to announce that in its 5th anniversary year, the course will be held for the first time in Accra, Ghana from July 8th – 7th, 29. As the inaugural West African course, it holds enormous potential to expand the pool of countries accessing first class SHN expertise, and to strengthen cross regional networking. The course will be hosted jointly by the Eastern and Southern African Centre for International Parasite Control (ESACIPAC, the West African Centre for International Parasite Control (WACIPAC) and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) based at Imperial College London. For more information please download the 29 Course Flyer​and the 28 Course Report.OR please contact Alice Woolnough, Programme Manager, PCD, a.woolnough@imperial.ac.ukTel 58 +44 27 594 32 Fax 58 +44 27 22 792.Download a registration form.If you would prefer a Word version of this form, please email Alice Woolnough, a.woolnough@imperial.ac.uk.

Accelerating Education’s Response to HIV ampAIDS in Nigeria – Summary document In 27, the Federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria, with support from the Accelerate Initiative Working Group, conducted a 5-year review of the Nigerian Government and development partners’ collaboration to build a systematic education sector response to HIV ampAIDS in-country. The review documents the implementation process and key achievements of Nigeria’s response to HIV between November 22 and 27 and is written by PCD with Action Health Incorporated, the Nigerian Ministry of Education and the World Bank. Findings from the review demonstrate that Nigeria’s education sector is playing a significant role in reaching a large section of the population with a comparatively low risk of HIV infection, providing children with the quot˜social vaccine’ of education to live life free from HIV. Future priorities for the sector’s response include 58 quot¢ Implementation of the national education sector HIV policy. quot¢ Improving the monitoring and evaluation of programmes. quot¢ Scaling up the delivery of curriculum and access to voluntary counselling and testing among education staff and students. quot¢ Increasing the provision of education incentives for orphans and vulnerable children. A summary of the Nigeria review precedes the full technical report (in-press). This summaryis availableon the Schools and Health site. Accelerating the Education Sector Response to HIV ampAIDS in sub-Saharan Africa - A Rapid Situation Analysis of 34 Countries The Western, Eastern and Central Africa Networks of Ministry of Education HIV ampAIDS Focal Points, with support from the World Bank, UNAIDS, UNESCO and PCD, have developed a report which present the results from a rapid situation analysis of the education sector response to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. The identification of priority areas in school health, nutrition and HIV ampAIDS in each country is enabling government officials to concentrate resources and programming in these areas, and will aid future planning both within each country and collectively across the Networks. The findings also serve as a baseline from which countries and the Networks can measure their progress in coming years.Of the 37 Network countries, 34 responded.Key findings from the 34 country responses include 58 quot¢ 7% have an education sector HIV ampAIDS strategy and an HIV ampAIDS plan. quot¢ 2% offer HIV ampAIDS counselling to teachers. quot¢ 9% are training teachers to protect themselves. quot¢ 94% have an HIV ampAIDS Focal Point within the Ministry of Education. quot¢ % provide HIV ampAIDS school-based prevention education of some form. quot¢ 74% are training teachers in a life skills approach. quot¢ 7% ensure orphans and vulnerable children do not have to pay school fees. This documentis available on the Schools and Health website.

​A new book and film are being launched in Africa this week 'Courage and Hope' shares the remarkable story of teachers living positively with HIV from across sub-Saharan Africa.The Partnership for Child Development (PCD), the World Bank and UNAIDS will lead the launch at the International Congress on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), Dakar, Senegal.A simultaneous screening will be held at the UNAIDS headquarters World AIDS Day Film Festival in Geneva, Switzerland. An estimated 22, teachers in sub-Saharan Africa are living with HIV, most of who have not sought testing and do not know their status. Stigma remains the greatest challenge and the major barrier to accessing and providing assistance to these teachers. In the film quot˜Courage and Hope 58 African Teachers Living Positively With HIV’, we hear the voices of four African teachers living with HIV.We hear how they discovered their HIV status and how this has affected their lives with their families, their schools and their communities. Each teacher tells a unique story of extraordinary courage and hope. The film is based on the book quot˜Courage and Hope 58 Stories from teachers living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa’ which is being launched with the film. The book tells the first-hand stories of 2 African teachers who are HIV-positive and living healthy, active lives. You can watch the trailer for 'Courage and Hope 58 African ​Teachers Living Postively with HIV'​​ on the Schools and Health website. Copies of the film and the book can be obtained from the Partnership for Child Development (please contact f.peel@imperial.ac.uk Tel 58 +44 2 7594322). A broadcast version of the film is available from Baney Media (please contact daphne@baneymedia.com).

On the st December every year, organisations and individuals across the world undertake activities to mark World AIDS day.They do this to focus attention on the AIDS epidemic.

Save the Children has recently produced quotImproving Our Lives quot 57, a minute film documenting their school health and nutrition work in Bolivia. Organisations may request a copy of the film by contacting 58 Daniel Abbott dabbott@savechildren.org Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world.For more information, visit the Save the Children website. Celebrating 75 years of service to children.

Child-centred approaches to HIV/AIDS 58 A Child-to-Child Approach Nairobi, Kenya, 2-7 February 29 This course is an opportunity for people to learn about the Child-to-Child Approach. It is structured to equip programme managers and those working in health and development, especially with children, with the knowledge and skills in HIV programming. For more information on the course, download the training brochure from the Child-to-Child site. For more information about Child-to-Child, visit their website.

The Global Handwashing Day is being held Wednesday October 5th 28. As 28 is the UN International Year of Sanitation, the Global Handwashing Day reinforces the call for improved hygiene practices. For more information visit the Global Handwashing Day Site. On the Schools and Health site, information on water and sanitation can be found on the following pages under the 'Water and Sanitation' topic heading 58 The Schools and Health site also has relevant linksand document downloads.​ You can also search for relevant country programmes.​

At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 28 Annual Meeting, held in New York, Sept 23-2, President Clinton announced a newschool feeding and de-worming initiative that will reach more than 2 million children in over 3 countries. This mega commitment included commitments from the World Bank, the World Food Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Digicel, Save the Children and Deworm the World, among other organizations and private sector companies. Please read the attached documents for more information.

PCD is working with UNICEF and the World Bank to develop a quotSourcebook quot 57 that will document examples of promising practices that enable orphans and vulnerable children to access education. It will provide a simple forum to help share practical experiences of designing and implementing programmes.

​The final report from the 'Vision for Children in the Developing World​', held in July 27 at Wolfson College, Oxford University, has been published. At the conference, leading child vision experts, development specialists and low-income government representatives met to identify the barriers to children's vision correction, addressing the critical question 58 How can vision correction be delivered to children in developing countries in an affordable, cost-effective, systematised and sustainable way? To read the report and for details on the proceedings of the conference and a list of participants, please see the attached documents​. For further information email pcd@imperial.ac.uk​​

Welcome to the re-launched Schools and Health website.Following the sites' consistent growth since its inception, the Partnership for Child Development undertook a re-development of the site in 27. This upgrade provides increased functionality and a more userfriendly and interactive interface. We do hope that you enjoy the re-launched site – please do email your comments on the new site (pcd@imperial.ac.uk). We are also working with our partners to explore opportunities to further expand the documentation portfolio to ensure that this site continues to be the contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV global resource.

Strengthening Contemporary School Health, Nutrition and HIV Prevention Programmes, 9th-8th July 28 For the fourth year running, this unique Course aims to enrich participants’ knowledge, under­standing and experience of SHN programming and to strengthen ongoing SHN programmes at the country level.The course has been designed to cater for the needs of education, health and community development professionals and project managers with a particular focus on the reality of programming in low income countries. Interactive and participatory, the training formula promotes the sharing of good practice, knowledge and experiences between countries and across sectors. This capacity building contributes to ongoing development partner initiatives in the region that seek to harmonize SHN activities and communication and support networks, thereby contributing to the achievement of Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. The course will be held in the International training Centre at ESACIPAC headquarters in the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Mbagathi Road, Nairobi, Kenya. Participants will have access to lecture theatres, a library and computer laboratory with e mail and internet facilities. For further information and for a registration form please contact 58 a.woolnough@imperial.ac.ukThe course brochure can also be downloaded here.

On Thursday 22 May 28, The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene will be holding a meeting at the Royal Geographical Society, Kensington Gore, London SW7 (entrance in Exhibition Road) CAREERS AND OPPORTUNITIES IN TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH RESEARCH This meeting will be a lively afternoon of varied and entertaining talks aimed at encouraging scientists and researchers from any related discipline to learn about careers in Tropical Medicine and International Health. Particularly relevant to post-graduates engaged further study or early careers in a range of fields from biological sciences through to health economics, social science and policy. Talks will be given by a wide range of established scientists and experts on topics such as how new vaccines for the big killer diseases are being testing in developing countries, how we might outwit the mosquito to reduce the terrible mortality caused by malaria and the ups and downs of running a laboratory in a remote field site. Speakers will give examples of their work alongside ideas and advice for those considering such a career. Major funding and development agencies will also be giving an overview of how funding can be sought and what career structures and opportunities exist.The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene celebrated its centenary in 27 and this meeting begun as an annual event last year to mark this special anniversary.A central aim of the society is to encourage people into this exciting field to find a career that could truly contribute to improving health in some of the world’s poorest countries. Contact and further information 58 Royal Society of Tropical Medicine amp Hygiene 5 Bedford Square, London WCB 3DP, Tel 58 +44 ()2 758 227emailmail@rstmh.org Please register via the RSTMH website,where you can also find out more about the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and see how else you can get involved.

​​​​​School Health, Nutrition and Education for All 58 Levelling the Playing Field​. This new publication from CABI contains 58 * The compelling case for school health and nutrition* Challenges for child health and nutrition ​* Health, nutrition and access to education * Long-term effects of preschool health and nutrition on educational achievement * Health, nutrition and educational achievement of school-age children * Costs and benefits of school health and nutrition interventions * School health and nutrition programmes Jukes, M., Drake, L.J. amp Bundy ,D (28). School Health, Nutrition and Education for All 58 Levelling the Playing Field.download flyer and how to order or order online and receive a % discount from the CABI online bookstore.

December 3rd 28, Dakar, Senegal. Courage and Hope 58 African Teachers Living Positively with HIV On the first day of the 5th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA), close to 2 conference delegates squeezed into the satellite symposium of Courage and Hope 58 African Teachers Living Positively with HIV, a documentary film produced by Baney Media and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD) with support from the World Bank. Following a short introduction by Professor Donald Bundy of the World Bank, the audience bore witness to the remarkable stories of Margaret Wambete, Martin Mkong Ptoch, Jemimah Nindo and Beldina Atieno, four teachers from Kenya living with HIV. In their own voices, they describe the heart-rending stigma and discrimination they faced in their schools, communities and families upon learning of their seropositive status, and the strength with which they have fought back in order to pursue their passion for teaching, to raise awareness of the issues faced by HIV-positive teachers and to emphasise the role of the education sector in HIV prevention. As the credits rolled, the four teachers were introduced to the audience and met with rousing applause and a standing ovation, a testimony to their moving accounts their collective displays of determination and strength of character, the courage and hope by which they live.A panel of experts, representing the Senegalese Ministry of Education, the World Bank, UNAIDS, AIDS Campaign Team in Africa (ACTAfrica), the Senegal Union Committee on HIV/AIDS (COSSEL) and the Kenyan Network for Positive Teachers (KENEPOTE), identified and addressed issues raised in the documentary before a question and answer session with the audience.You can view theCourage and Hope video on the Schools and Health website. You can also readUNAIDS coverage of the event.

Few people grasp the importance of good nutrition as well as Olympic Athletes. No matter how talented, they can’t give their best without it. Here are four renowned Olympic athletes who say nutrition is just as important to children, especially those who risk not getting enough. Athletes heading to the Olympic Games in London have more in common than talent and hard work. Whether they’re sprinting the metres or diving off a springboard, they know that without eating the right foods, they can’t give their best. Nutrition is just as important to children. They need it so that their minds and bodies can grow, and so that they can learn in school and reach their full potential. As excitement builds around the Olympic Games in London, here are four renowned athletes who’ve seen first-hand the difference nutrition can make in the lives of hungry children. Dayron Robles - Hurdler. As a child, Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles suffered from anaemia, a form of malnutrition that left him tired and weak. Thanks in part to meals provided to him at school, he overcame the problem and became one of the fastest hurdlers in the world. Robles won a gold medal in the -metre hurdles at the 28 Beijing Olympics and then another at the 2 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Paul Tergat - Marathon Runner. WFP Ambassador Paul Tergat says he came to school as much for the meals as for the lessons. Growing up in impoverished rural Kenya, he remembers what it was like to go to bed hungry. But with help from those meals, he was able to become one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time, winning two silver medals at the Olympics and breaking the world record for fastest marathon in 23. Li Ning - Gymnast. quotAs an athlete, I know how important good nutrition is for healthy growth, quot 57 said Chinese gymnast Li Ning, who was dubbed The Prince of Gymnastics after winning medals at the 984 Summer Olympics. Li Ning says living in a country where hunger was once widespread, but that now contributes to WFP’s work around the world helped him understand the long-term impact nutrition can have. Robert Korzeniowski - Racewalker. One of the most successful racewalkers of all time, Robert Korzeniowski won three consecutive Olympic gold medals for the 5 km walk between 99 and 24, and a fourth gold medal in the 2 km walk in 2. He said that his memories of receiving international aid as a child in Communist Poland were behind his decision to support WFP school meals programmes. Original Article Adapted from the World Food Programme News Page.

HIV care centers are an important and highly accessed point of care for HIV-infected children and their families in sub-Saharan Africa, but opportunities to address other health issues are being missed. Proven interventions, including routine deworming among young children, could be effectively integrated into HIV care according to a newly published article in PLoS by University of Washington researchers. The article, quotIntegration of Deworming into HIV Care and Treatment 58 A Neglected Opportunity, quot estimates that millions of HIV-infected individuals in sub-Saharan Africa are also infested with parasitic worms, called helminths. The parasitic infestations have enormous health consequences, including anemia, malnutrition, and impaired cognitive development, and may also increase the progression of HIV. Helen Gerns, the lead researcher on the paper, said that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends annual or bi-annual deworming of children in schools as a cost-effective strategy to diminish the consequences of chronic helminth infection. However, many children are not routinely being dewormed through programs in schools. This, despite the fact that standard treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infection entails only a single 4 mg dose of albendazole, making routine deworming of children a simple intervention. In addition to missing those children who are unable to attend school during deworming campaigns, school based deworming misses pre-school aged children. quotAnnual deworming of preschool-aged children is safe and highly effective in reducing parasite prevalence and intensity, malnutrition, and risk of stunting, but a formal policy does not yet exist to target this age group, quot said the researchers. quotBecause children are infected and often diagnosed with HIV while very young, preschool-aged children can easily be dewormed in HIV clinics, along with their siblings, to reduce the occurrence of reinfection. quot Deworming HIV-infected children may have additional benefits, including delaying the progression of HIV, reducing other infections, and increasing responsiveness to vaccines. quotPopulation-level data show that regional variations in vaccine efficacy correlate with variations in the prevalence of enteric [gut] pathogens, quot according to the article. The article cites increased efficiency in the rotavirus vaccine and polio eradication efforts in countries with fewer cases of helminth infections. quotChildren who failed to respond to oral poliovirus vaccinations were 25 percent more likely to harbor infections with intestinal parasites than vaccine responders, quot according to the article. quotGiven that deworming is standard medical care among all children in many settings, we should not miss such an effective, inexpensive and practical opportunity to deworm HIV-infected children, quot said co-author Dr. Judd Walson, assistant professor of global health at the University of Washington. Read the original article at EurekAlert.

Health and Education officials have collaborated together in Prakasam district, India to deworm 57, students. District Medical and Health Officer, K.Sudhakara Babu told a press conference that for the first time, childrenin private schools would be covered under the exercise, whichwill bejointly undertaken by both departments of health and education, with support given from Rajiv Vidya Mission, an organisation in the district working towards community ownership of the school system. Including students fromprivate schools, has increased the number ofschoolchildren to be covered,by an addition of237,. Dr Sudhakar Babu said, quotStudents would be able to concentrate better on their studies after deworming as the worms suck the blood and make them anaemic quot quotWe have kept ready sufficient number of Albendozole table for giving to children quot, said B. Padmavathi, District Coordinator of the Jawahar Balarogya Raksha. quotIt is better to go for deworming once in every six months quot, she added. quotThe medicine should be consumed after food to protect children from round worm, hook worm, and pin worm quot, she said. quotOpen defecation is the main source worm infection'', Dr Padmavathi said, adding that mothers should wash their hands with soap before handling food. Over million school-age children in the worldare infected with parasitic worms. School-age children typically have the highest burden of worm infection of any age group with an estimated 4 million worldwide suffering from soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis. Chronic worm infections are widespread. They can negatively affect all aspects of a child's development 58 their health, nutrition, cognitive development, learning and educational access and achievement. Read more on the importance of deworming. Read the original article from the Hindu.

More than , primary and secondary school students in Kon Tum Province have been screened for vision problems with more than 8 of them receiving eyeglasses thanks to ChildSight, an eye care project that improves the vision of children in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by Helen Keller International and the Kon Tum provincial departments of Health and Education and Training, the pediatric eye health care project also trained nearly 3 teachers and health workers from primary and secondary schools on screening skills. Each school was equipped with a screening toolkit, and the trained teachers checked their students for refractive errors at the beginning of a new school year. quotWe are very happy with the results of this project and hope that the best practices adopted by Kon Tum Province will be considered by other provinces, quot 57 said USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Francis Donovan. Through screening and specialized check-up for those in need, 3 school children have been diagnosed with complicated eye diseases such as cataract, uveitis, posterior capsule pacification and ptosis and referred to Ho Chi Minh Eye Hospital for additional treatment and care. quotThis project is very significant to Kon Tum province as it has helped students improve their vision and also improved the awareness of children, teachers and parents about eye health, quot 57 said Dr. Nguyen Thi Ven, Director of Kon Tum Health Department. In addition to improving the vision of school children, the project has strengthened the capacity of provincial health personnel in pediatric ophthalmology and provided surgical equipment to Kon Tum General Hospital and Kon Tum Center for Social Disease Prevention and Control in order for them to provide follow-up care for more complicated cases.It is estimated that globally there are around 85 million school-aged children who require some form of vision correction to see clearly. In developing countries alone the estimates are of 8 million children who could benefit from vision correction. The majority of these children do not have access to affordable eye examination or a pair of glasses. Children with poor eye sight are more likely to suffer from poor academic performance, school absenteeism and dropout rates are higher and long term career prospects are poorer. Read more on the Impact of Child Vision on Child Development. Read the original press release from Helen Keller International. Find out more about Helen Keller International.

​​Inclusive education at the GPE Replenishment Conference by Margarita Focas-Licht​​​ In June 994, representatives of 92 governments and 25 international organizations met in Salamanca, Spain, for the World Conference on Special Needs Education. Co-organized by UNESCO and the Government of Spain, the Salamanca Conference reaffirmed the right to education of every individual and renewed the pledge made at the 99 World Conference on Education for All. The Salamanca Framework for Action adopted the principle that ordinary schools should accommodate all children, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic or other conditions. Exactly 2 years later, the Global Partnership for Education will hold its Second Replenishment Pledging Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Hosted by the European Union, the conference will include a side-event on “Inclusive education for children with disabilities.” As we approach the deadline for the Millennium Development Goal to “ensure that, by 25, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling”, the GPE Replenishment Conference is an opportunity to take stock of progress made since Salamanca. Globally, 57 million children remain out of school. Millions of these children have a disability. Without them, Education for All is not achievable.​ Policies for inclusive education are insufficient ​In the intervening years, a multitude of reports and documents have provided guidelines for policy and practice on inclusive education and analyzed progress and challenges. For instance, in 27, World Vision UK, with funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), published a report entitled, “Education’s Missing Millions 58 Including Disabled Children in Education through EFA FTI processes and National Sector Plans” (from which I have borrowed the title to this blog). The report analyzed education sector plans in 28 countries implemented with support from the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (which became the Global Partnership for Education in 2), to examine how well they included children with disabilities. The report concluded that policies and provision for disabled children remain cursory or have not been implemented.. Key gaps identified included lack of data insufficient planning across the range of measures required to improve provision few financial projections of costs or use of funding mechanisms and incentives to support inclusion limited approaches to partnerships with parents, communities and non-governmental organizations and weak inter-ministry links. We need to tackle the bottlenecks that keep children with disabilities out of school. The conclusions from the Education’s Missing Millions report remain true today 58 very few developing countries have managed to move from policy to large-scale practice in terms of equitable access to quality education for children with disabilities. There are many bottlenecks and constraints 58 cultural practices that stigmatize people with disabilities continue to keep children away from schools, schools are inaccessible for children with mobility challenges both in terms of buildings and surrounding terrain, and millions of teachers lack adequate training and support to recognize and respond to the individual learning needs of their students—let alone those who have special needs. The arguments against inclusive education for children with disabilities I’ve heard over the past two decades are many 58 “these children require something that regular schools and teachers cannot provide” “it is too costly to develop special schools and classrooms when systems cannot even address the needs of ‘normal’ children”, and so on..Lessons not to learn​ Lena Saleh, who led UNESCO’s work on disability at the time of Salamanca, once told a group we had gathered for an inclusive education workshop in Ethiopia that Africa has a unique opportunity not to embark on the costly and inefficient road to inclusion that Europe took, but to learn from it and take a more direct route by bypassing the establishment of costly, separate services for children with disabilities.. If teachers are trained, empowered and supported to respond to children’s individual learning needs, if schools are inclusive communities that provide mutual support and encouragement, if communities mobilize to bring all children to school, if civil society and governments work together to provide early identification and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities, and if the global community provides resources and support for all this to happen, then equal access to quality education for children with disabilities could become a reality. The 2 World Report on Disability​ published by the World Health Organization and the World Bank envisages such an approach to bringing together the efforts of multiple stakeholders. The report suggests steps for governments, civil society and disabled people’s organizations to join forces to create enabling environments and services for persons with disabilities. Inclusive education at GPE’s Replenishment ConferenceSince the Education’s Missing Millions report, The Global Partnership has grown and attained new momentum, with 59 member countries and a new governance structure that includes broader representation than before. This is the kind of partnership required at school, district, national and international levels to finally turn the promises of Salamanca into reality. The inclusive education event at the Replenishment will be an occasion to take stock of progress and lessons learned since Salamanca, while reaffirming the right for all children, including children with disabilities, to attend school and to learn. ​ ​ ​ ​Origin article from GPE website​​

World Sight Day 24, 9 October encourages all those working in the eye health field to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment. In low and middle countries alone 8 million children could benefit from vision correction. This is a vital gap to be addressed, poor child vision excludes children from learning and taking full advantage of what may be their only opportunity to participate in school. Click to read more Download child vision documents

​A new interactive map from SciDevNet shows the percentages and ratio of disabled and non-disabled children in school across 29 countries.​​ Disabled children are commonly believed to be largely excluded from school in developing countries, but SciDevNet's​ new study shows that the difference between disabled and non-disabled children’s attendance is lower than expected. The findings should shift development sector debates away from a focus on merely getting disabled children into school and encourage greater consideration of the quality of education disabled children get.​Click to visit the map

​​​​​by Ebrahim L. Abo, RN, MCH​ I am a Nurse In-Charge of the Department of Education Division of Maguindanao II under Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Philippines. We have only 53 school nurses and dental aid to serve a population of nearly , school children. The region is poor and densely settled area in the southern part of the country which is currently facing high rates of helminth (parasitic worm) infections due to poor implementation of deworming activities. The Asia SHN course provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in SHN that will make a difference to the lives of children and families in my region.Through interactive lectures, country assignments, group work and presentations, the course encourages participants to assess SHN in a systematic evidence-based way. The aim is for health professionals like myself to strengthen our knowledge-base so that we can improve the school health policies and programmes that we are engaged with back home.Topics covered during the course included deworming, inclusive education, school feeding, disaster prevention in school health, WASH and health and nutrition management in schools. One of the highlights ​for me was the visits to two Thai schools to learn how they had implemented high quality SHN services. At the end of the course, the participants were able to understand the different underlying concepts of school-based health approaches and to identify different approaches that they could use to make effective health policy decisions. Practical outcomes from the courseWe know that intestinal worms negatively affect the health and education of children. School-based deworming is a safe and effective means of protecting large numbers of children. In ARMM, we are facing the problem of falling attendances at school deworming events. This has been driven by parent's misplaced concern over the safety of the deworming drugs. As less children are being dewormed, more and more are becoming infected. During the SHN course we resolved to devel​​​​​op an action plan to tackle this problem. Our general goal is to deworm all school-aged children in selected municipalities of Bukidnon, Maguindanao and Sarangani Provinces. For our specific goals, we will increase and scale-up coverage to all school-aged children (5-2 yrs old or Kindergarten to Grade VI) enrolled in public elementary schools. Alongside the over-arching action plan we prepared a short-term month plan for the deworming activities. As well as treating private schools and out of school youths, the plans include a large-scale community and school sensitization campaign a referral mechanism for unexpected adverse reactions to treatment. The plan aims to strengthen the integration of deworming with other SHN interventions including, school feeding, WASH and Essential Health Care Programmes. A -3 year long term plans include the evaluation and the documentation of good practices. Prevalence mapping of STH infections will also be used to inform more effective resource allocation and prioritization. Ebrahim L. Abo's attendance at the Asia SHN course was supported by Children Without Worms. Download all the presentations given at the 2 Asia SHN course here. Edited by Francis Peel (PCD)​

​​​​​​by Ebrahim L. Abo, RN, MCH​ I am a Nurse In-Charge of the Department of Education Division of Maguindanao II under Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Philippines. We have only 53 school nurses and dental aid to serve a population of nearly , school children. The region is poor and densely settled area in the southern part of the country which is currently facing high rates of helminth (parasitic worm) infections due to poor implementation of deworming activities. The Asia SHN course provided me with an unparalleled opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in SHN that will make a difference to the lives of children and families in my region.Through interactive lectures, country assignments, group work and presentations, the course encourages participants to assess SHN in a systematic evidence-based way. The aim is for health professionals like myself to strengthen our knowledge-base so that we can improve the school health policies and programmes that we are engaged with back home.Topics covered during the course included deworming, inclusive education, school feeding, disaster prevention in school health, WASH and health and nutrition management in schools. One of the highlights ​for me was the visits to two Thai schools to learn how they had implemented high quality SHN services. At the end of the course, the participants were able to understand the different underlying concepts of school-based health approaches and to identify different approaches that they could use to make effective health policy decisions. Practical outcomes from the courseWe know that intestinal worms negatively affect the health and education of children. School-based deworming is a safe and effective means of protecting large numbers of children. In ARMM, we are facing the problem of falling attendances at school deworming events. This has been driven by parent's misplaced concern over the safety of the deworming drugs. As less children are being dewormed, more and more are becoming infected. During the SHN course we resolved to devel​​​​​op an action plan to tackle this problem. Our general goal is to deworm all school-aged children in selected municipalities of Bukidnon, Maguindanao and Sarangani Provinces. For our specific goals, we will increase and scale-up coverage to all school-aged children (5-2 yrs old or Kindergarten to Grade VI) enrolled in public elementary schools. Alongside the over-arching action plan we prepared a short-term month plan for the deworming activities. As well as treating private schools and out of school youths, the plans include a large-scale community and school sensitization campaign a referral mechanism for unexpected adverse reactions to treatment. The plan aims to strengthen the integration of deworming with other SHN interventions including, school feeding, WASH and Essential Health Care Programmes. A -3 year long term plans include the evaluation and the documentation of good practices. Prevalence mapping of STH infections will also be used to inform more effective resource allocation and prioritization. Ebrahim L. Abo's attendance at the Asia SHN course was supported by Children Without Worms. Download all the presentations given at the 2 Asia SHN course here. Edited by Francis Peel (PCD)​

​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Government of Ethiopia has launched a new 5 year School Health and Nutrition Strategy and Action Plan to improve the health and education of the country’s school children. The strategy and action plan c​alls for schools to be used as a platform to deliver essential, simple and effective measures such as deworming, vision screening and health education. Once implemented school children in Ethiopia will benefit from improved health and nutrition but​ also improved access schools with research showing school health programmes result in increased school attendance and improved educational outcomes. The launch was announced by ​Ato Berhanu, Advisor to the Minister for General Education at a special event convened with development partners including Partnership for Child Development, Sightsavers​, World Food Programme​ Global Partnership for Education, Save the Children​ and Dubai Cares. Speaking at the launch, Dr Lesley Drake Executive Director for PCD said, “This strategy and action plan are very important for the future of Ethiopia’s children. It is an vital step in ensuring they have the health and educational opportunities needed to live full​filling lives. .” The strategy covers the fourFocusing Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH) pillars of 58 health related school policies, safe school environments, and health education and school health and nutrition services. In addition, the strategy calls for increased coordination, capacity building and increased planning and implementation structure. The strategy was developed by the Ministry of Education, with support from the SHN taskforce and a range of international development partners. It is based on evidence collected during a nationwide situation analysis on the health, nutrition and education of school children in Ethiopia, literature reviews and consultations with stakeholders. The SHN strategy supports the recently developed Education Sector Development Plan V, which emphasizes​​​ the need to improve the health and nutrition of school-age children in order to boost attendance and educational achievement. In addition, multiple school based interventions are already beginning including the advent of the Ministry of Health’s national school based deworming campaign, which aims to protect all at-risk school children with deworming drugs once a year to protect them from parasitic infection. Disease Control Priorities Roundtable The strategy launch is one of a number of important school health and nutrition meetings taking place in Addis during the same week. Prior to the launch internationally renowned school health and school feeding academics, researchers and policy makers drawn from 5 African countries, the UN, NEPAD, the World Bank convened at the African Union to discuss the latest research and programmatic thinking on school feeding. The findings from this meeting will be published in the 3rd edition of Disease Control Priorities. Published once a decade, Disease Control Priorities evaluates the most pressing conditions and diseases contributing to the global burden of disease and evidences the most effective treatment programmes for them. Find out more about this Roundtable. SABER Alongside this policy makers from the Ministries of Education and Health undertook a 2 day Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) policy analysis review to identify ways to strengthen the countries school health and nutrition policies and programmes. SABER is a World Bank supported tool for analysing policies in countries. It is designed to map the current SHN situation and find gaps in policy and implementation. This school health SABER builds on a previous SABER workshop covering school feeding that was run in August 25 by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Partnership for Child Development (PCD), Imperial College London. The analysis from this workshop demonstrated the strong status of school feeding, being included in several policy documents, and highlighted the need for increased capacity and coordination, as well as requirements for well designed, evidence based school feeding programme. It is hoped that the results of the follow up SABER School Health workshop will provide the Government’s School Health and Nutrition task force with a road map for planning and addressing the school health and nutrition agenda in Ethiopia. ​