Feeding Cambodia's future generations – the woman who leads WFP's school feeding programme

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Hello Kannitha! Where are you from and what is your role at WFP?

My name is Kannitha Kong. I work for WFP in Cambodia where I am the programme manager for the School Feeding programme.

My primary objective is to ensure the smooth execution of the programme and to provide guidance and support to our government partners in implementing and scaling up the National Home-Grown School Feeding programme.

In my job, I have to ensure that all activities related to the school feeding programme adhere to WFP's policy, guidelines and procedures on the one hand and the national priorities, policies, and strategies on the other hand. To that end, I work closely with government counterparts, assisting with budget negotiations and supporting advocacy efforts with key national social protection stakeholders.

Tell us about your professional journey: how did you start your career?

I graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Phnom Penh as a medical assistant in September 1990. After that, I started working with the Ministry of Health at the provincial hospital. After four years I went back to university to get my Medical Doctor certificate in December 1998.

In early 1999 I started working for an NGO called the Reproductive and Child Health Alliance (RACHA). During my time with RACHA I learned a lot about the work that WFP did in Cambodia, particularly the Nutrition programme that supported the health of mothers, children, and individuals affected by Tuberculosis and HIV. I was impressed to see the direct impact that WFP's activities had on the people in need of support. This experience inspired me to seek out opportunities to join this organization and work within the UN system.

In 2004, I successfully interviewed for the position of National Programme Officer and began working with WFP. It was an incredible opportunity to oversee the implementation of the school feeding programme in Cambodia since its early days.

Can you talk a little bit about WFP's School Feeding programme in Cambodia?

The school feeding program in Cambodia was initiated in 1999, with a modest goal of providing meals to just 60 schools in two provinces. Due to the positive impact of the program, it has since been scaled up to include more than 1,100 schools today. This impressive growth reflects the effectiveness of the program in addressing the nutritional needs of schoolchildren in Cambodia and highlights the commitment of those involved in its implementation.

WFP supports at every step along the process, from the beginning of the commodity process, sourcing the food and transporting it to the school. The Ministry and the schools ensure that basic requirements for the programme implementation are available on-site at the school, such as the infrastructure, kitchen, utensils, and firewood for cooking.

In 2014, the government and WFP started a so-called home-grown school feeding programme, meaning that ingredients for the school meals would be bought from local producers, boosting local economies and creating jobs.

That sounds like a great way to benefit the entire community! Can you share more about the Home-Grown model?

The home-grown school feeding programme started in just a few pilot locations, but it has now scaled up to over 1,100 schools across Cambodia. This model has the potential to address two community issues simultaneously: improving child nutrition and reducing poverty among smallholder farmers.

The home-grown school feeding approach establishes a sustainable link between school meal provision and community development, which benefits both students and farmers alike. Creating a dependable market within the community, the programme provides much-needed support to the agricultural sector. For the children, a daily meal in school improves food security and enhances nutritional standards.

And in buying food locally we also save on transportation and storage costs, all while strengthening local food systems - everybody wins!

Can you talk about the impact of the programme, particularly on indicators such as nutrition or school attendance?

The Government of Cambodia has acknowledged the proven effectiveness of school feeding in advancing children's health, nutrition, and educational outcomes.

Certainly, our school feeding program has a positive impact on education. Firstly, it provides an incentive for parents to send their children to school, particularly in areas where enrolment is low and drop-out rates are high. We carefully select schools in these areas to ensure that we reach the most vulnerable children. Since the implementation of the program, we have seen significant improvements in enrollment and attendance rates, bringing them closer to or even higher than the national average.

In addition, the program has had a positive impact on academic performance, particularly in terms of literacy rates. Schools in the areas where we operate have higher literacy rates than other schools, demonstrating the effectiveness of the program in improving educational outcomes.

The school feeding programme has also had positive outcomes for nutrition and health by providing children with diverse and nutritious meals that improve their learning abilities. The programme has a weekly menu that is well-liked by the children, and they particularly enjoy dishes such as Korko soup. This has also led to a ripple effect in the community, with families starting to diversify their diets to include more nutritious foods that are readily available in their area.

The economic benefits of the programme are also seen through generating income for farmers who participate. Families have reported using the income from the programme to invest in small businesses, education, or expand their agriculture capabilities. One rice supplier even shared that they were able to secure a loan from the bank and invest in equipment to become a rice miller.

You’ve been with WFP in Cambodia for many years. How has the organisation's work evolved over time?

WFP's school feeding programme has undergone significant changes over time. In the early days, the programme had two core components: a food or cash scholarship for school children from impoverished households, and a school meals programme provided to all students in selected schools within communities with high rates of poverty, malnutrition, and poor academic performance.

Another shift is ownership gradually shifting from a partnership with the Government of Cambodia to full government ownership. Initially, WFP implemented and funded all programmes, but through ongoing consultation, the government took over the take-home food scholarship programme in 2019 and began taking over the school meals programme in 2020. Approximately 40% of the 1,113 schools with school meals programmes in Cambodia are now funded and managed by the Government. A full transition is expected by 2028.

Many of the people involved in this model are women. Is it something that WFP seeks out, or is that happening organically?

At the programme level, we strive to ensure gender equity by requiring women's participation in the school support committee. On the flip side, to promote gender balance and equality in the programme we are also advocating for more men to take on cooking roles. Our aim is to encourage men to participate actively in the programme, particularly in cooking, which has traditionally been considered a woman's job. By encouraging men to take on these roles, we hope to create a more inclusive and equitable school feeding programme.

On the supplier side, we also see this as a critical opportunity to empower women in the community. In Cambodia, women traditionally only work within their households, but with our programme, female farmers can take part in economic activity, supplying their products to the schools. This not only creates a network of women within the village but also enhances their capacity and enables them to contribute to their families' incomes. We are actively encouraging and supporting women to participate in the supplier side of the programme, as we believe this can be an essential step towards women's empowerment in vulnerable rural communities.

What motivates you in your work?

Despite being busy with numerous responsibilities and deadlines, I never feel exhausted when I have the opportunity to visit the field and witness schoolchildren happily eating breakfast, smiling, and concentrating on their studies.

What advice would you give people looking to pursue a similar career?

1. Set clear goals and work hard to achieve them. You shouldn't be afraid to dream big, but you need to follow through with the effort required to make it happen. Set clear goals and work hard to achieve them. And actively seek out opportunities that will help you move closer to your dream!
2. Tailor your CV to each job application. When applying for jobs, it's important to tailor your CV to each position. This means highlighting the skills and experiences that are most relevant to the job you're applying for and tweaking your CV to best align with the requirements of the role.
3. Prepare thoroughly for job interviews. Preparation is everything: this means doing your research on the organisation and the position you're applying for, and thinking through some answers for common interview questions.

Since 1979, the World Food Programme has supported Cambodian families to meet their emergency needs and enhance the long-term food and nutrition security of vulnerable households and communities.

Read more about WFP's work in Cambodia