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
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
To unsubscribe from the School-Milk-L list, click the following link:
&*TICKET_URL(School-Milk-L,SIGNOFF);