ARLINGTON, VA., Feb. 3, 2021 — Counterpart International today announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $22 million to implement development activities to support multi-sectoral national strategies to improve food security, reduce the incidence of hunger, and improve literacy of school children in Mozambique.

Counterpart will lead the implementation of the new five-year, McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition program, Our Bright Future!, in collaboration with partners Associação PROGRESSO, Civil Society Learning and Capacity Building Centre (CESC), and Creative Associates International.  Our Bright Future! (2020 – 2025) will assist the Government of Mozambique to improve health and strengthen the primary education system in 203 schools in Magude, Manhiça, Moamba, and Matutuine districts in the Maputo province.

Counterpart and its partners will work with Ministries of Health and Education, schools, parents’ associations, community members, and non-government agencies to:

• Improve student attendance rates by providing nutritious daily school meals to students, improving school infrastructure, and increasing parent and community engagement to support schools and student learning;
• Improve school and community health and dietary practices by increasing the knowledge of students and their families on improved nutrition, health, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices, and providing access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and deworming medications;
• Improve literacy of school-aged children and the quality of education by increasing teacher capacity through professional development, providing quality instruction and learning materials to students, and strengthening the linkages between local and national-level decision makers; and
• Increase the capacity of the national school feeding program — Projecto de Alimentação Escolar (PRONAE) — to locally procure commodities and provide oversight of a diversified food basket in school feeding programs.

Located in southeastern Africa, Mozambique is a low-income, food-deficit country with a largely rural population of 31 million.  In 2015, the country reached its Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of hungry people. Despite this impressive achievement, significant challenges to food and nutrition security remain. Mozambique ranked 180 of 189 countries in the 2019 Human Development Index.

“Counterpart is grateful to once again partner with USDA on our new project, Our Bright Future!. This project provides a vital and sustainable safety net for food-insecure children living in Mozambique, while supporting critical sanitation and child education and development initiatives,” said Brian Dotson, Director of Counterpart’s USDA portfolio. “We look forward to supporting communities in Mozambique while building on our successful and longstanding partnership with USDA.”

About Counterpart International
For over 55 years, Counterpart International has forged partnerships with communities and local organizations to build inclusive, sustainable communities in which people thrive. Our current project portfolio is focused on education, food security and agricultural development, effective governance, institutional strengthening, and economic development.

For more information, please visit counterpart.org.