Bangladesh, School Feeding USDA McGovern-Dole Grant 2020-2024: Evaluation

The evaluation was commissioned by the WFP Bangladesh Country Office to assess the project’s performance by examining its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability and was intended for both accountability and learning purposes. The evaluation covered the activities assisted through McGovern-Dole project including literacy, school feeding, WASH and capacity strengthening activities.

Key evaluation findings included:

• Relevance: The project was relevant, addressing education and nutrition needs in line with national policies. It improved attendance, hygiene, and girls’ retention, targeting underserved groups. When the hot meal transition was dropped, WFP adapted by continuing fortified biscuits and reallocating budgets with partner support.
• Coherence: The intervention aligned with national policies and global frameworks, contributing to SDGs 2, 4, 5, and 17. Partnerships with USAID, USDA, FAO, and UNICEF strengthened coherence across sectors. Yet, gaps in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture limited broader cross-sectoral synergies, affecting integration with smallholder farming initiatives.
• Effectiveness: The project improved literacy, attendance, and hygiene. Reading proficiency rose by 27 percentage points, attendance reached 92.4 percent in project schools. By the end of the programme, 97 percent of schools had functional toilets, and 80 percent reported improved access to water. Dietary Diversity Score also increased from 4.7 to 5.27 in project schools. However, Key challenges in infrastructure gaps, limited context-sensitive planning, persistent learning gaps and logistical hurdles in integrating smallholder farmers remain.
• Efficiency: The adaptive approaches like the wheat-to-biscuit barter system enhanced cost-efficiency, producing more biscuits per metric ton than standard benchmarks. Despite challenges like natural disasters, political unrest, and logistical barriers, implementation remained timely. WFP and its partners adopted adaptive strategies, including capacity-building, supply chain adjustments, and contingency measures to maintain food delivery, to address changing environment.
• Impact: The project contributed to improved literacy, health practices, and sex-related parity. Handwashing and attentiveness in class increased, and girls’ retention was supported through targeted strategies. Still, socio-cultural barriers, such as sex-based bias along with political instability, slowed progress in some regions.
• Sustainability: Efforts to build government capacity and integrate school feeding into Primary Education Development Program (PEDP5) laid a foundation for scale-up. Community-led initiatives and digital monitoring tools promoted ownership and accountability. However, financial constraints, policy gaps, and infrastructure limitations continue to challenge full institutionalization and expansion, especially for hot meal delivery.

Key recommendations from the evaluation included five operational recommendations and one strategic recommendation as follows:

Operational recommendations:

• Capacity-building for systems strengthening: Provide ongoing training for government officials, teachers, and stakeholders to institutionalize best practices and ensure sustainable program delivery.
• Strengthen monitoring systems: Expand the use of digital tools for real-time data collection and analysis, supported by targeted capacity-building.
• Strengthen community engagement and participation of all constituents – boys, girls, women and men: Increase community ownership and women’s participation in school feeding governance and implementation.
• Enhance focus on nutrition in school feeding interventions: WFP should collaborate with the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) to build capacities to identify, design and pilot innovative, locally sourced school feeding models.
• Prioritising investments in infrastructure and logistics: Advocate for and invest in essential infrastructure, including kitchens, storage, and sanitation facilities, to improve the safety, efficiency, and reach of school meal delivery.

Strategic recommendations:

• Build crisis resilience: Support the GoB in developing strategies such as natural disasters and crisis-responsive strategies to safeguard school feeding during disruptions.