Southeast asian schools empower communities through nutrition and care

Today, her dream is becoming a reality through the Promotion of Well-being in Schools in Southeast Asia Project, a regional initiative supported by Chevron, the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN), and the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for Sustainability (SEAMEO SEPS).

“I wish and dream of giving them, all of them, all of the 650 pupils (at my school) nutritious food that will support them in their daily activities in school….We will be serving breakfast for them, Nutritious breakfast to start their day, right every day,” Lorian L Guanio, the principal of the Patiis Elementary School in the Philippines, said about her plan under the initiative.

Covering the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia and Brunei Darussalam, the Promotion of Well-being in Schools in Southeast Asia Project has recently handed out awards to the Patiis Elementary School and five others at the 47th SEAMEO High Officials Meeting (SEAMEO HOM). Held in Bangkok on November 27, the event attracted more than 150 top officials and SEAMEO partners including Thai Deputy Education Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul.

This project focuses on school lunch programs out of the conviction that children’s well-being and learning are related.

Under the project, Guanio’s school will receive a grant of US$3,000 for the implementation of its six-month proposal to improve her students’ nutritional lifestyles, which includes workshops with parents and collaborations with local communities.

“We expect the healthy lifestyles to last beyond the implementation period,” she said.

Five other schools from five different countries have also received a similar grant from the Promotion of Well-being in Schools in Southeast Asia Project, which is under the auspices of the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Sufficiency Economy Philosophy for Sustainability (SEAMEO SEPS), the Southeast Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) and Chevron. The implementation of their proposal will begin in December and conclude in June 2025.  

The winners of the grants are chosen from 29 schools based on a proposal they have developed to improve their students’ well-being via better food or school lunches.  

Launched in June this year, this project offered online training for schools with vulnerable and poor children as its target groups before accepting and screening proposals. Integrated into these proposals are the One Health approach and the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.

The winner from Thailand is a rural school in the northern province of Chiang Rai, which has 181 students from kindergarten to primary educational levels. Most of these students are from minority groups and hill tribe families.

 “Food quality directly impacts students’ health,” Ban Pangmahan School’s director Danaiwat Manee said about the idea behind his school’s winning proposal.
 
He said the proposal focused on ensuring that food given to students was not only nutritious but also clean and free from contaminants. Food handlers will be educated about proper food preparations, while students will be trained in how to keep their canteen clean and in line with hygiene standards.

“Health Heroes”, meanwhile, is the winning proposal by Sekolah Bimbingan Jalinan Kasih. This Malaysian school plans to gradually enhance its students’ eating habits, promote them as Health Heroes, and engage parents through a variety of activities including family cooking contests. 

The winning school from Brunei, Sekolah Rendah Pehin Dato Jamil, located in the water village, vows to integrate healthy eating habits through its curriculum, promote No Food Waste practices in its compound, and engage communities in its Farm to School Meal Lunch program.

The successful proposal from Indonesia interestingly comes with the idea of investing in the future of the golden generation or children. The Indonesian winner, SD Negeri 2 Ulin Barat, intends to wage a balanced nutritional education campaign through regular workshops and webinars with parents, Herbalist Club with students, and a healthy food menu application, while also promoting sustainable agricultural practices.

Emerging as the winner from Cambodia is the Smet Primary School, where 20% of its 647 students are underweight. “We will address malnutrition, which is a big problem, and closely monitor their progress on BMI (Body Mass Index). Not only we will educate our students about nutritional knowledge, but we will also forge collaboration with health professionals,” the school’s vice principal Chean Vanny said.

“The award you received today is well deserved and reflects the high quality of your projects,” Zamira Kanapyanova, General Manager of Corporate Affairs, Eurasia Pacific at Chevron, said to the representatives of the winning schools during the award presentation ceremony. “At Chevron, we strive to empower people in the communities where we operate to improve their lives and meet their full potential. We’re proud to support this initiative because teachers have designed school lunch programs, they believe have the best chance to improve health and education outcomes for children at their school”.

Duriya Amatavivat, Director of SEAMEO SEPS commented, “The awards provided an opportunity to celebrate the remarkable achievements of participating schools”. She also explained the Centre’s decision to contribute one additional special grant to the Aroyama Border Patrol Police School whose proposal built on their deep understanding of the local community and highlighted community engagement to tackle malnutrition, food security and sustainability. 

Pol Lt Col Dechavat Vongvai, the principal of Aroyama Border Patrol Police School in Chiang Mai province, said people in his school’s neighbourhood were mostly Black Lahu and their traditional dishes and lifestyles restricted their access to all essential nutrients.

“Our proposal aims at serving nutritious lunch to our students and raising health awareness among all locals,” he explained.

Based on the proposal, the school’s lunch will use produce from its own farms as well as local farms. Teachers and coaches will help promote sustainable farming, proper food preservation and processing too to ensure ingredients are of good quality.

“With this approach, we won’t have to source ingredients from far away. Our cost will be lower while local communities will become stronger,” he added.

Tongkorn Meeyam, Executive Director of SEAOHUN, said she was very excited about the upcoming implementation of the winning proposals and urged all to share their experiences to overcome any challenges ahead.

“This project allows SEAOHUN to extend its impact beyond universities, reaching younger generations and encouraging healthier communities. “She emphasized.

The Promotion of Well-being in Schools in Southeast Asia Project gives SEAOHUN, which usually promotes its knowledge among universities, a platform to expand its activities to schools and to reach out to young kids.

Kanapyanova said relationships and partnerships with communities, especially with educational institutions, could help make some dreams come true.