WFP Kenya’s Transitional Cash Transfers to Schools (TCTS) A Cash-Based Home Grown School Meals Programme

Who is the TCTS pilot for?

37,000 primary school children; 99 schools (including 45 very remote schools, one of which is a mobile school for nomadic pastoralists); and 32 grain traders.

Where is it happening?

Isiolo County, north eastern, Kenya (100% coverage of primary schools in the county). The map above shows where WFP in-kind assistance is being used for school meals; where the pilot cash to schools is being implemented; and where WFP has already handed over schools to the Government’s home grown school meals programme (HGSMP).

East and Central Africa OMN| Knowledge Series Regional Bureau for

This paper is part of a knowledge sharing series to inform better programming and communicate results.

At the centre of WFP’s approach to school

feeding is an intention to shift ownership to

national governments, while improving quality,

coverage and sustainability. Linking school

feeding programmes to local agricultural

production is a critical element in supporting

sustainable transitions, and one that can create

wider economic outcomes for small-scale

producers and traders. In Kenya, WFP has been

working with the Government to handover its

school meals programme and to support their

transition to a cash-based home grown model.

The Government’s “Home Grown School Meals

Programme” (HGSMP) links schools and local

agricultural production by transferring funds

directly to schools, enabling them to purchase

food directly from local suppliers and farmers.

After transition of several thousand schools from

the traditional WFP in-kind school meals

programme to the Government-led HGSMP in

large parts of the country, in 2012, the Ministry

of Education requested WFP to assist with a new

and more challenging phase to expand the

programme into Kenya’s arid lands. In response,

WFP began implementing a “Transitional Cash

Transfer to Schools” (TCTS) pilot in Isiolo County.

This pilot is demonstrating that with the right

support, even schools in Kenya’s arid lands –

where production is more limited and markets

relatively weaker – can purchase food locally,

and empower parents and teachers to manage

their own quality school meals programmes.

Students in the school meals programme in Isiolo County.

WFP/Rose Ogola

How WFP Kenya Switched School Meals from In-kind to Cash

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Studied the food markets. A comprehensive study of the food markets in

Kenya’s arid lands helped WFP Kenya to understand the constraints and

opportunities that schools would face when buying food each term.

Mapped the schools. It is important to know precisely where the schools are in

relation to the specific markets and transport corridors. WFP Kenya used this

information to calculate a transfer value to ensure remote schools (that face

higher food prices) are not disadvantaged by the switch from in-kind food to cash.

Consulted all stakeholders to develop a strategy. Stakeholders agreed on a

detailed plan for a sustainable transition from in-kind school meals to a

government-led, community-owned and cash-based programme. It is important to

keep consulting every step of the way to ensure full buy-in from all stakeholders.

Built the capacity of schools (teachers and parents) to run the cash-based

school meals programme. Emphasis was placed on financial management,

competitive procurement, proper record keeping, and food quality. They started

with a training, but followed up with hands-on support throughout the process.

Built the capacity of local suppliers to supply the school meals market.

WFP Purchase for Progress (P4P) colleagues trained local traders to compete

in the new market.

Prioritized transparency and accountability. Intensive monitoring and

continuous oversight was conducted at the school level. Communities were given

easy access to information and a hotline to report issues.* Controls were put in

place and discipline was meted out swiftly to those who tried to breach them.

Prepared to share the results widely. Describing the process and the

controls that are in place, and demonstrating the positive benefits can help

other WFP countries that are interested in piloting a cash-based home

grown school meals programme.

KEY STEPS

* See Knowledge Series on WFP Kenya’s Complaints and Feedback Mechanism.

How were communities involved?

Kenya’s arid areas have relied on food aid for decades. The communities with high poverty levels have not had enough say in the type of assistance they receive. Encouraging community ownership and participation was a key part of the pilot and was achieved through two main mechanisms.

School meals programme committees (SMPC) were elected. Each committee had eight members: the head teacher, school meals programme teacher and two other teachers, and four parents. The SMPC managed the food procurement and school meals bank account, and oversaw the use of the funds and food. Each committee was chaired by a parent member who was also signatory to the account. In total, 392 parents were involved in the pilot.

A helpline to report issues or get information. Posters were hung at the schools, children took leaflets home, and communities were informed about the hotline through barazas (community meetings). The hotline was used by traders, parents, teachers, and concerned community members.

Who were the main partners and donors?

The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST); Agricultural Market Development Trust Kenya (AGMARK); bank managers, primary schools, school children and their parents in Isiolo County were the main partners. The Department of Trade, Foreign Affairs and Development (Canada) funded the initiative.

How was the approach validated?

The strategy and early results of the pilot were presented to stakeholders during a validation meeting in Nairobi. At the field level, during preparatory meetings for Term 1 2014, the results of the previous term were reviewed with MOEST county/sub-county teams and parents). WFP staff from in the country office, sub-offices, and regional office were briefed on the results and lessons learned through a learning event broadcast through a web-based conferencing facility (Webex).

What were the success factors?

Cash transfers can work for school meals even in areas where there is limited or no local production and very limited capacity at the school level. Critical success factors include a strong collaboration between WFP and MOEST, the building of confidence and capacity of parents to take it on, and building capacity of local traders to participate in the new market. Increased parental involvement in children’s education is also important for successful educational results.

What were the challenges?

Parents who are illiterate are less likely to be elected to the SMPCs. Given that illiteracy disproportionately affects women, this makes it more difficult for them to participate. In addition, local production of grains is limited in arid areas and traders are not accustomed to structured markets. WFP’s Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme is working with local grain traders to prepare them for the new school meals market. Quality issues continue to be a challenge as some traders do not fumigate the maize and beans before delivering to schools.

What is the impact so far?

For over 30 years, primary schools in the arid lands have received in-kind food aid. Parents did not participate nor did they influence what their children ate at school. They had little information about the programme, and no clear mechanism for reporting problems. The TCTS pilot is helping to identify the best way to transition the schools into the national HGSMP. With the new approach, parents are involved in receipt and management of funds, they have a say in what their children eat for lunch at school and a structured way to lodge complaints. Local food suppliers and Kenyan producers benefit and new businesses have been established in remote areas.

What was the timeframe?

WFP’s support for the expansion of the Government-led and community-owned home grown school meals programme included the development of a strategy (April-September 2013), a ‘transitional cash to schools’ pilot (May-December 2014), and hands-on learning. The market study was done in 2012, and preparations began in January 2013. From start to finish, the initiative took about 18 months.

Top: A school cook prepares lunch for the students.

WFP/Charisse Tillman

Bottom: A tender opening with local traders, parents and teach-

ers.

For more information, contact

Lara Fossi, Head of Country Programme

Lara.Fossi@wfp.org

Cheryl Harrison, Head of Innovations

Cheryl.Harrison@wfp.org

What are the lessons learned so far?

Given that all 99 schools in the county were able to purchase food at competitive prices in the local markets, the first phase is regarded as a success. But the seasonal nature of many variables that affect markets in the arid areas means that more learning will emerge from future phases. Intensive engagement of parents and rigorous monitoring and oversight by WFP and the MOEST have contributed to the positive results. Continuous coaching and supervision of the SMPCs and other school staff in procurement, food management, and record keeping must continue in future phases to prepare schools for handover.

To achieve better nutrition and food security outcomes, funds are needed for products to protect food from pests during school holidays; cooking pots, utensils, and bowls for students; clean and safe water; fuel-efficient stoves; and scales to verify quantities of food delivered and used, and calibrated scoops to ensure correct quantities.

How can it be sustained and scaled up?

Ensure funds for expanding HGSMP. Ultimately, the government’s budget will need to grow as more and more schools are handed over. Ensuring that the funds are ring fenced and transferred in time for schools to procure for each term has proven a challenge for the Government under the existing HGSMP.

Maintain accountability after handover. WFP undertook intense monitoring and technical oversight for the transitional cash to schools pilot. This should continue even after handover.

Build capacity of local suppliers. Local suppliers are not accustomed to participating in structured markets. Building their capacity to ensure a steady source of quality food for the schools is difficult, and will continue to be for some time.

Establishing a plan for handover is built into the design of the school meals programme in Kenya, and formalized in an agreement with the MOEST, so it is now “business as usual”. WFP plans to explore introducing fresh, locally-produced commodities into the food basket. Sourcing food produced as near to schools as possible will be a positive step and require intensified engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries in each county.

What skills are required for success?

For a successful cash-based home grown school meals programme, technical skills are required in market analysis, coordination and partnership building, project management, experience with/in the MOEST, food procurement, and monitoring.

How much did it cost?

The transfer value to the schools for the first term ranged from 12-14 KES (US$0.14-0.16) per child per day depending on the distance of the school to the market or transport corridor. The amount was calculated using price data collected during WFP Kenya’s regular market monitoring. The transfer value is being monitored as

the school year progresses and may be adjusted in the future.

What are the next steps?

The pilot is on-going and the learning from it continues. WFP will operationalize the strategy by handing over the Isiolo schools to MOEST at the end of 2014, and by launching the TCTS programme in the next county. The plan is to spend one year building the capacity of the schools and county team in each county before transitioning the county to the Government’s programme.

The home grown school meals guidelines issued by MOEST are being updated to incorporate good practices from the pilot and the changes agreed in the strategy.

Additional elements, like using locally-produced food in the school meals basket, will be tested. By working with the county governments, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and other agricultural sector partners, it may be possible to supply such things as: tilapia, camel milk, goat meat, tomatoes and sukuma wiki (kale) to make school meals more diverse and nutritious. Close monitoring of the schools jointly with the MOEST will continue even after handing over.

Last Word

The school meals programme is WFP’s oldest programme in Kenya. The transitional cash transfers to schools pilot and the strategy for expanding school meals into Kenya’s arid areas is paving the way for a smooth transition of this important safety net to a government-led, community-owned programme. The pilot is ongoing and continues to generate new learning; New ways are being suggested for improving linkages with local producers and establishing controls and systems that can be sustained over time. The goal is to continue and deepen the partnership with the Ministry of Education to establish the Government’s home grown school meals programme as a sustainable national safety net of which Kenyans are proud.

Poster publicizing the

Transitional Cash Transfers to Schools

programme in Isiolo County

May 2014