Chekka School in North Lebanon is one of the latest additions to the WFP-funded School Meals Programme (implemented in N. Lebanon and Akkar by DCL), as they got involved for the first time in the academic year 2023-2024. From the very beginning, though, the school’s administration and children warmly embraced the program, welcoming each day with excitement and gratitude the packs of healthy snacks (a combination of fruits, vegetables, milk, and/or nuts) diligently distributed to all students.

The Health Educator of the school, inspired by the program and the children’s reaction, led an initiative that transformed the students into impromptu reporters and journalists to capture their peers’ feedback regarding the value of the healthy snacks they enjoy each day. The interviews, held during recess, delved into snack preferences and overall reactions. The initiative culminated in a collaborative song, inspired by the snacks, set to the famous Fayrouz melody “Kan Gheir Shekel El Zaytoun”.

The project has had a significant impact, promoting health awareness and mindful garbage management among the children, and fostering creativity and community engagement. The children’s feedback reveals their diverse tastes and preferences, their overall excitement and appreciation for the snacks, the multiple up-cycling of the paper bags, the gratefulness of the families/parents, and the sense of unity and equality the snacks bring to the children’s community.

Enjoy a short video of the initiative and join us as our hearts melt, looking at those sweet faces and smiles. Feedback like that gives us energy and strength every day to continue our effort to secure and support the healthy nutrition and education of the young generation in Lebanon.

Since 2020, DCL has been the Cooperating Partner for North Lebanon and Akkar for the UN-World Food Programme’s (WFP) School Meals Programme. The program’s scope is to distribute healthy snacks to students in schools across Lebanon daily, ensuring that school-aged children of vulnerable populations (crisis-inflicted Lebanese plus Syrian and other refugees) are protected against food insecurity, receive healthy nutrition, and remain enrolled in schools. This, in turn, provides them access to a better tomorrow through education.