Message
Dear Simon,

 

In the context of my original comments of 23rd May in the scroll below, viz:

 

In many countries, relying on government funding has not proved to be an aid to sustainability:  government and politicians change and the new entrants rarely wish to finance projects associated with their predecessors.

 

Also, having free milk from the start, makes it very difficult to introduce parent-funding … even in rich countries.

 

Some years ago, a private dairy in Nairobi, Brookside, introduced a programme to encourage privately-funded schools to served milk.  This was fully-funded by the parents/schools.  Does anyone know if this still exists?  Checking the company’s internet site, I don’t see any mention of it:  http://www.brookside.co.ke/index.htm

 

… some of the most stable and long-standing school feeding programmes in the world are based on public support; however, these, as far as I know, are all located in medium to high income countries – and even there, there is frequently problems to ensure adequate financing.  For lower income countries, the most common route for programmes financed from the public purse is initiation, growth and oblivion – as you describe.  I therefore believe that it is important to recognize and learn from this often repeated experience and to stress broad funding and partnership – as Charles mentions in the case of Tanzania.  Another good example would be China, where government’s involvement is in the area of setting regulations and fostering a conducive environment; but the financial side is managed between the suppliers and the schools – with the parents paying for the milk their child receives.  Again, this model has produced sustainability and growth – which was foremost in the minds of people who designed it:  foremost amongst these was Professor Jianping Jiang, a member of this e-forum, who gained part of his inspiration for designing a pragmatic programme by attending the FAO sponsored international school milk conferences in 1998 and 1999.

 

Papers on the Kenya school milk programme have presented at two of the FAO conferences.  The first of these was at the 1998 conference:

·        The development of the school milk programme in Kenya. A country paper presented at the International conference on School Milk in the 21st. Century. Kwa Maritane, Pilanesberg National Park, North West Province, South Africa, 27-29th Oct. Conference proceedings, p106-118. – 1998;

and the second at the 2005 conference in Uganda:

http://www.fao.org/es/ESC/common/ecg/186/en/14_Cherono_Kenya_country_report_pres.pdf

 

 

In the 1998 paper, Edward Karuri, notes that the Nyayo school milk programme was never nationally evaluated and furthermore for the project to have fully met its objectives it would have required more finance, Ksh5.2 billion, than the entire budget for primary education at that time.

 

While, amongst the conclusions of Philip K. Cherono’s  report of 2005 were:

The programme became too costly/unsustainable for the Govt especially for the long life milk and ‘Free’ is not sustainable in the long term

 

I invite other readers to read both documents and draw their own conclusions.

 

In my own case, I remain convinced that programmes relying on government support in countries with budgetary constraints are not a good thing and that from the very beginning programmes should be initiated using diverse funding – starting small and growing based on lessons learnt.  This may not be the big news item that some seek; however, it a way of ensuring there will still be news to report in 10 years time and not a history lesson.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

 

From: Newsletter on production and trade development in the dairy sector [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of FAO-Dairy-Outlook
Sent: 27 August 2012 14:29
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: Comments: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

Dear Michael,

I find it disingenuous to argue that public funding for a school milk programme is unsustainable by definition; by that logic, neither is construction of infrastructure, nor a public health system etc; or free primary education. Pumping tax revenue into the dairy sector through funding of school milk can be wholly sustainable as it creates a self-fulfilling loop through the value chain and benefits society overall. Application of public funds to one project or another is a result of political choice, and so the failure to allocate the money to one or other programme is not a reflection of the sustainability of the programme itself, but perhaps of the political motivation behind it. The Kenya school milk programme was not a failure – it just had a life with a beginning, a peak, and an end. Its end in 1990 after over 10 years was part of wider realities that also saw the almost complete collapse of the formal dairy sector in the country over the succeeding decade and which were not caused by nyayo milk.  

Moreover, the residual benefits of the programme, including the long-term consumption culture, the ability to attract investments into the sector, and the willingness of today’s parents (yesterday’s beneficiaries) to participate in the Pacoh programme, for instance, cannot be gainsaid.

Let us by all means debate how to expand and sustain today’s programme – but let’s not sniff at past successes just because today’s generation does not prioritise school milk  in the way a previous one did, whatever its other faults.

Regards,

Simon

 

 

From: Newsletter on production and trade development in the dairy sector [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of FAO-Dairy-Outlook
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2012 6:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Comments: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

I would like to reply to John’s comment below.  Having seen so many programmes fail, I believe sustainability should be the starting and end point of programmes.  A failed programme does little long-term good to the children that receive the milk and serves as a barrier initiating new activities by those seeking to improve school nutrition. 

 

This is not to say that failure should be condemned – after all, unless we try, how can we succeed?  Rather, where a realistic long-term foundation is not there, for example, a politically motivated programme identified with a single politician or a political party where the government/politician may change or a government funded programme in a country with limited national funds, it is much better to start in the way that Charles proposes.  History will judge … and so far the evidence is on Charles’s side.

 

Michael 

 

From: FAO-Dairy-Outlook
Sent: 25 May 2012 10:08
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 2 comments: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

Dear friends in milk

 

I am not sure if it is right to over emphasis the issue of sustainability in every situation. My conviction is the past Kenyan intervention(Nyayo milk) in the 1980’s gave an unforgettable boost to the industry and the population at large. This is despite the fact that it later stopped. I see same happening with the new initiative. I am impressed by the commitment of the project funder- I see a big impact to the industry and children(future generation)

 

John Mlay 

===================

 

Dear Charles and Michael,

This is only one source of funding for the PACOH school milk programme in Kenya, it is also privately funded by parents and the government has also paid at times when there has been a milk glut creating a problem in the industry. In total there are almost 90,000 children in the programme.

 

But I agree with you that there has to always be more broad based funding support for the programmes to be sustainable.

 

Many Warm Regards,

Kelly Boucher

Food for Development

Tetra Pak Eastern Africa

 

 

From: FAO-School-Milk [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 May 2012 17:13
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: comment: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

Michael

 

This Kenyan information is very interesting. But as regards funding I still insist that broadbased funding is the best option as I presented at the SMFconference in Kampala. The Tanzanian model of funding the programme by parents, milk processors and a donor started in 2005 has now reached over 65,000 school children. It is difficult to start, grows slowly, but lasts longer.

 

Charles Mutagwaba

 

 www.tanzaniadairyboard.or.tz

 

 

From: FAO-Dairy-Outlook <[log in to unmask]>
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, 23 May 2012, 13:05
Subject: 2 messages: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

What an interesting article!  Perhaps others on the list would like to comment on it?

 

In the mid-1980’s Kenya began a national government-funded programme.   This reached a peak of 44 million litres distributed in 1989 only to fall to  3 million litres in 1997, and subsequently stopped altogether.  

 

In many countries, relying on government funding has not proved to be an aid to sustainability:  government and politicians change and the new entrants rarely wish to finance projects associated with their predecessors.

 

Also, having free milk from the start, makes it very difficult to introduce parent-funding … even in rich countries.

 

Some years ago, a private dairy in Nairobi, Brookside, introduced a programme to encourage privately-funded schools to served milk.  This was fully-funded by the parents/schools.  Does anyone know if this still exists?  Checking the company’s internet site, I don’t see any mention of it:  http://www.brookside.co.ke/index.htm

 

Regards,

 

Michael 

=============================

Dear DOL and All,

 

Good to see Dennis Oounga's article (Sunday Sun 20may12) on the pilot school milk programme in rural Kenya.

 

Recently, I was lucky to attend the 8th African Dairy Conference & Exhibition in Nairobi (25-27.Apr.12), and visit nearby Tassells Dairies. It's good to see dairy developing in East Africa.

 

With best wishes,

Bruce Scholten

Durham University, UK

 

 

 

 

 

From: FAO-Dairy-Outlook
Sent: 22 May 2012 09:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Kenya launches pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools

 

Dear all

 

Please find attached a news clipping (20 May 2012) about the launch of a pilot school milk programme targeting 18 rural schools in Kenya.

 

The project is funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development and implemented by the Smallholder Dairy Commercialization Progamme.

 

Regards

 

Tezira

 

TEZIRA LORE 
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)  |  www.ilri.org

 

 

 



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