Combatting Absenteeism and Reducing Barriers to Education (CARBE) in Mozambique

The project seeks to improve access to primary education and support the learning outcomes of primary school students in the five most food-insecure districts of Tete province including two districts impacted by Cyclone Idai in March 2019. Project activities include: (1) providing daily nutritious school meals for up to 78 000 primary school students (of which 50% are girls) at up to 60 schools; (2) providing monthly take-home food rations for families; (3) incentivizing up to 8 000 adolescent girls to stay in school through the provision of menstrual hygiene care kits and informational materials aimed at improving sexual and reproductive health and addressing gender-based violence and early marriage; and (4) providing training to 2 000 women and men members of school feeding committees on basic procurement and financial accounting. The project provides local women’s agricultural associations with support to attain legal recognition and training on agricultural and entrepreneurship. Working with the government of Mozambique the project develops the tools and systems for the expansion of a gender-sensitive National School Feeding Program.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved school attendance and retention for 78 000 children (of which approximately 50% or 39 000 are girls including 8 000 adolescents) in five food insecure districts; (2) increased incomes and decision-making power for local women involved in school feeding programs; and (3) increased government ownership for the delivery of a national gender-sensitive school feeding program.