A journey on how school meals are growing education in Congo

Today, 1.5 million people do not have regular access to nutritious and sufficient food in the Republic of Congo (Congo). Access to education is another major challenge - rurality, poverty and gender inequality combine to limit the pursuit of schooling of vulnerable children.

In this context, WFP’s supports the Government to address education and food system challenges and to ensure that all school-aged children do not go to school on an empty stomach, providing school meals to 173,000 primary school children in Congo.

The Elongo initiative shows how school meals are a multisectoral game changer that improve children’s education, health and nutrition. This exhibition brings together the visual stories of students, parents, teachers, cooks, and other community members that were collected during Spring 2023 in seven departments of the country.

“Elongo” means “together” or “all of us” in Lingala, one of the national languages in Congo.

Source: WFP data, as of September 7, 2023.