Why Health and Nutrition NGOs Focus on Schools for Impact

Health and nutrition NGOs recognise that schools are powerful platforms for driving meaningful change in communities. By focusing their efforts on schools, these organisations can reach children during their formative years, shaping lifelong habits that improve health, well-being, and academic performance.

Schools as Strategic Hubs for Nutrition Education

Schools are uniquely positioned to address health and nutrition challenges. Children spend a significant amount of their time at school, making it an ideal setting to teach healthy eating habits and hygiene practices. By integrating nutrition education into the curriculum, NGOs can ensure that children gain practical knowledge about making healthy food choices. This is especially important in regions where poor nutrition is linked to lower academic performance.

For instance, at Nourishing Schools Foundation, we’ve partnered with over 330 schools, positively impacting the lives of more than 95,000 children. Our toolkit has been integrated into school subjects, helping students understand the connection between nutrition and learning. As a result, we’ve seen significant improvements, such as a 32% point increase in children handwashing with soap and a 14% point increase boost in children taking charge of their own nutrition.

Creating Ripple Effects in Communities

The impact of focusing on schools extends beyond the students themselves. Children often share what they learn with their families, spreading healthy practices into the wider community. This ripple effect is particularly impactful in rural areas where access to nutrition education may be limited. For example, we are working with farming communities in Rajasthan to spread the adoption of climate-resilient agriculture, supported by outreach by the students from the schools covered by our programme. The students apply climate-resilient agriculture practices in the school gardens and then become ambassadors of change in their communities, driving the adoption of these practices by their parents, who are also farmers.

Addressing Broader Public Health Issues

By targeting schools, NGOs can address larger public health concerns such as malnutrition, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies. According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, every second Indian adolescent faces issues related to undernutrition or obesity, with many lacking access to nutrient-rich foods like pulses and leafy vegetables. School-based programmes are a strategic way to introduce children to healthy dietary practices early on, which can have long-term health benefits.

Leveraging Partnerships for Greater Impact

Schools are also effective partners for scaling up health and nutrition interventions. By collaborating with schools, NGOs can engage with local governments, teachers, and community leaders to drive sustainable change. Partnerships like these allow for efficient resource utilisation, as schools already have infrastructure and access to children who can benefit from nutrition education.

In our experience, partnerships with schools have also enabled us to leverage support from corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. For instance, our collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan has allowed us to expand our toolkit to new schools after demonstrating the positive outcomes of our programmes.

Conclusion

Health and nutrition NGOs focus on schools because they are strategic centres for imparting knowledge, instilling healthy habits, and driving community change. By targeting children during their school years, these NGOs can influence not only the health of the current generation but also shape healthier futures for entire communities. Schools provide an effective, scalable platform to ensure that health interventions reach those who need them most, creating lasting impact through education and engagement.

Photo by Nikhita S on Unsplash