International food for education program fights hunger and promotes security

During the Truman Administration, the National School Lunch Act was approved by Congress and signed into law to fight child hunger in America. For more than 50 years, our nation's policies have reflected our values that no child should go hungry and that hunger should never cause a child to miss the opportunity to learn.

Although millions of American children have benefitted from our school lunch programs, children in other parts of the world are not so fortunate. An estimated 120 million school-age children around the world are not enrolled in school, in part because of hunger or malnutrition. The majority of these children are girls.

In fiscal year 2001, a pilot program was established to provide nutritional school meals for nearly 7 million children in 38 countries. These efforts resulted in more children entering schools, improved student performance, and greater parental and community involvement in education. Due in part to the success of the pilot program, the 2002 Farm Bill included provisions to establish the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program (FFE).

Named in honor of Ambassador and former Senator George McGovern and former Senator Robert Dole for their efforts to encourage a global commitment to school feeding and child nutrition, the FFE program provides donations of U.S. agricultural products, as well as financial and technical assistance, for school feeding and maternal and child nutrition projects in low-income, food-deficit countries that are committed to universal education.

The FFE program reaffirms the U.S. commitment to childhood education and nutrition globally. The program is also a key tool to help combat terrorism and to help build and consolidate democracy in the Middle East, southern Asia, the Near East, and in other regions critical to U.S. national security. American products and commodities are directly associated with efforts to combat hunger and to promote educational opportunity, encouraging support and good will for the United States in these communities and countries.

Along with several of my House colleagues, I recently urged the President to include $300 million in next year's budget proposal for the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.

This level of funding would restore funding to the amount received by the original pilot program.

I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the FFE program receives adequate funding in the coming year. By alleviating child hunger and improving educational opportunities overseas, we will be taking steps to build strong communities and to eliminate the hopelessness and despair that breeds terrorism and threatens global stability.