Case Study Report



National School Nutrition Program

Introduction

Life is beautiful! It is the basic and privilege right of an individual to make the life more beautiful and to enjoy each and every pleasure that the life offers. In order to achieve this objective people eat healthy and acquire education. Education is the basic right of every individual. But, there are a number of factors that affect the education. This is very common in children. When children are hungry and lack specific elements such as iron and zinc they remain unable to concentrate on their studies. A child with hunger is unable to perform complex tasks. As a result of the malnutrition a child often falls ill which becomes the reason for his absence from his school. In order to address all these issues the government of South Africa started a program with the name of Primary School Nutrition Program (PSNP) in the year 1994. Later, this name was changed from Primary School Nutrition Program to National School Nutrition program (NSNP). The aim and objective of this program is to improve the nutrition of the children so that they become healthy and take active part in their education. This program was implemented all over the country. This program was implemented on the school children up to the age of 6.

Background of the NSNP

Initially NSNP was formed to improve the educational outcomes and the learning of the children. The coordination and integration with the Department of Health changed the focus of the program changed and they diverted their attention on the nutrition and food intake of the children. At initial stages the program was working with the name of Primary School Nutrition Program. Afterwards its name changed. The function of the department of health in this program is to design menu and select food items through which the health and fitness of children can be improved (Reeler, 2007). The function of the department of education is to implement this nutritious program in schools. The general condition of public made the government to take this step to form this program. Malnutrition whether under-nutrition per se or a specific micronutrient deficiency, is usually the result of an inadequate intake of food because households do not have sufficient resources. In a review of the income sources of malnourished people in most of the cities of South Africa found that among households with a per capita income below $600 (U.S.), there was a close relationship between household food security and the nutritional status of children. The problems associated with nutritional deprivation are compounded when access to sanitation is limited, because poor sanitation and hygiene results in increased morbidity. This condition is often accompanied by a reduction in food intake at the very time when energy and nutrient requirements are high. About one-third of the populations of various cities of South Africa have access to sanitation, and just over half have access to safe water, but there are large urban-rural differences. Ease of access to water is 48 ...