Key Facts
- Hunger and malnutrition remain leading barriers to school enrollment and attendance in developing countries.
- Children from food-insecure households are more likely to drop out or delay school entry.
- In the Philippines and Bangladesh, school feeding programs have raised enrollment rates, reduced dropouts, and improved learning outcomes.
- Providing daily meals eases the burden on families, allowing children to attend school instead of working or staying home.
In many developing countries, millions of children remain out of school not because of a lack of classrooms, but because of hunger. Malnutrition directly affects enrollment, attendance, and learning outcomes. Families struggling with food insecurity often prioritize survival over education. When a child’s daily meals are uncertain, parents may delay enrollment, keep children at home, or even send them to work to support household income.
Research consistently shows that malnutrition leads to higher absenteeism, lower test scores, and delayed cognitive development. In some regions, undernourished children are twice as likely to drop out before completing primary school compared to their well-nourished peers.
This link between hunger and school participation is most visible in rural and low-income areas of the world, where households face daily trade-offs between feeding their children and sending them to class.
School feeding programs help break this cycle. By ensuring that children receive at least one nutritious meal per day, schools become more attractive to families. The presence of meals reduces the immediate economic pressure on parents, who no longer have to stretch already limited food budgets. This is the core behind our work at Thrive. We believe that every child deserves the change to learn and reach their full potential without the distraction from an empty stomach.
Studies in multiple countries show that providing meals in schools boosts enrollment rates and reduces dropout, especially among girls. In addition to improving health and nutrition, meals act as a powerful incentive: parents know their children will eat if they attend.
The Philippines has long struggled with high child malnutrition rates. According to national surveys, nearly one in three Filipino children is stunted. Hunger directly affects whether a child can attend and stay in school. A Philippine Institute for Development Studies article noted that “hungry children do not make good students,” highlighting how food insecurity leads to absenteeism and disengagement.
To address this, the government and NGOs like Thrive have scaled up feeding initiatives that provide meals to undernourished children in public schools. Beyond government initiatives, community-led programs (where local mothers prepare and serve meals) have also increased trust and participation. The cultural familiarity of food, such as rice-based dishes, helps encourage children to attend daily. Families view schools as safe and supportive spaces, especially during times of crisis or food shortages.
Bangladesh faces similar challenges. Child malnutrition has historically been among the highest in South Asia, with far-reaching effects on education. Studies published in the Journal of Biosocial Science show that malnourished children in Bangladesh are more likely to start school late, struggle academically, or leave early.
School feeding programs have been introduced in both rural and urban areas as part of the solution. At Thrive, we partner with local communities and schools in both Bangladesh and the Philippines to provide daily meals to schoolchildren.
A study also shows that school meal programs not only improve classroom participation but also reduce child labor, as families rely less on children to supplement household income. Meals give parents confidence that their children are both learning and receiving nutrition they cannot always afford at home.
The impact of school feeding extends far beyond individual children. When enrollment rises, communities benefit from better-educated youth, reduced child labor, and greater gender equity in education. Families also gain relief from the constant struggle of balancing food and schooling costs.
In the Philippines, Thrive engages mothers and women in the preparation of daily school meals, creating economic opportunities, and deepening the program’s positive ripple effects in the community. This approach is key to how Thrive works, creating impact that goes beyond a single meal.
As the new school year begins, it is worth remembering that the promise of education often hinges on something as simple as a meal. For millions of children in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and other developing countries, daily school meals mean the difference between staying in class and staying at home.
School feeding programs are not just about nutrition—they are about opportunity. By addressing hunger head-on, Thrive helps children enroll, stay, and succeed in school. Thrive also eases the burden on families, empower communities, and strengthen the foundation for long-term development.
In a world where hunger still keeps children from classrooms, providing a plate of food can be the most powerful enrollment policy of all.
