School Lunch Improvement Programme Promotes Health and Well-being in Southeast Asia

The SEAMEO Regional Centre for Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for Sustainability (SEAMEO SEPS) in partnership with the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) and Chevron, is pleased to announce a groundbreaking initiative aimed at enhancing health and well-being in schools across Southeast Asia. This innovative project will employ the One Health approach and integrate the concepts of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) and sustainability through the School Lunch Improvement Programme during 2024-2025. It is expected that 45 schools will be nominated by the Ministries of Education from 9 Southeast Asian countries, namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. 

Funded by Chevron through SEAOHUN, this regional pilot has been designed to address the challenges faced by schools in implementing existing school lunch programs. In Phase 1 of the project, school leaders, teachers and community members of the nominated schools will participate in seven online capacity building training sessions that integrate both the One Health and SEP principles. These sessions will encourage schools to work with their local communities in managing their programmes more efficiently and effectively. They will also build knowledge and understanding to ensure that the lunches provided are nutritious, balanced and meet food safety standards.

Following the training, each school will be given one month to develop and submit a School Lunch Improvement Proposal to SEAMEO SEPS. The most outstanding proposal from each country will receive a grant of USD 3,000 to implement their proposed changes. These proposals will be recognised during an Award Ceremony at the 47th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting in November 2024, Thailand. The schools will then have a further six months to implement their proposals during which time there will be a mid-term and final evaluation which will focus on the achievements of the participating schools. At the project’s conclusion, success stories will be shared through regional webinars, fostering a culture of learning and improvement across the region. 

Commenting on this initiative, Ms. Duriya Amatavivat, SEAMEO SEPS Centre Director, noted the alignment of Chevron’s mission to empower people around the world so they can improve their lives, achieve their ambitions and meet their full potential with those of the project partners. Dr. Tongkorn Meeyam, Executive Director of SEAOHUN highlighted the impact of the project.