Lues, R. F. R.Leshabana, Selaelo Emanuel2023-08-152023-08-152022http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12114Dissertation (MDS (Development Studies))--University of the Free State, 2022The fight against hunger is globally envisaged by the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which talks about ending hunger by 2030. The National Development Plans (NDPs) of many countries, including South Africa, further conform to the SDG's aims of promoting the end of hunger among children and women. The Constitution of South Africa Act No. 8 of 1994 further endorsed the children's rights. As a result, school feeding as one of the programmes to alleviate short term hunger was resuscitated. The SDG 2 gave impetus to the school feeding programme in South Africa and in other countries. The NDPs were launched in different countries with a focus on ending hunger and promoting the welfare of the people (development of the people). The feeding programme in South Africa was relaunched in 1994 and it was called the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP). The study focused on the effects of the NSNP in alleviating the hunger of the school learners in the Tzaneen Circuit. The schools are quintile 1 as they are located on the farms around the Tzaneen town. The study employed the utilitarian and the theory of change concepts which align with the intervention programme for the happiness and the well-being of most people. The majority of the learners are from disadvantaged homes and are found in the quintile 1 schools. Thus, the programme is crucial for this cohort of learners as most of their parents cannot afford proper meals. The school meals remain the hope of these children, by keeping them happy and well in their school journey. The decentralised model was piloted at the farm schools in the Tzaneen Circuit, and it was preferred by the schools over the centralised model. The latter is not favoured due to the challenges such as the late deliveries, the delivery of low-quality products and the lack of flexibility. On the one hand, through the decentralised model, the schools buy, save money, choose suitable food items, and terminate contracts with retailers where necessary. As a result, the school learners benefit greatly as when there are leftovers the needy identified learners get food parcels to take home for the holidays. The model strides critically to alleviate these learners' short term hunger challenges to ensure their well-being. The introduction of a decentralised model in phases will increase the rollout of the school feeding programme as the programme will end in six years. The rigorous monitoring of the programme will ensure its success and it will guard against any mischievous usage of the resources. The role of the NSNP was crucial during the Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) peak, as the children were able to access food even though there was no schooling. The organisations such as Section 27, the Equal Education Law Centre and Equal Education ensured that the children's rights were safeguarded. They ensured that the children who were not at school or those who were learning at home due to COVID-19 also received food. They approached the high court, which enforced the offering of meals to the learners by the Department of Basic Education. Scholar transport also adds great value to the children's education and to their access to the school meals. Without scholar transport, many learners may not be able to go to school and they will not be able to access meals as they are from poor backgrounds. Most learners rely on the school meals as their parents cannot afford food. Therefore, the DBE and the Provincial Departments partnerships with the stakeholders such as the other departments, the Non -Governmental Organisations (NGOs), the Private Sector and the Community Based Organisations (CBOs) is crucial for the success of the NSNP.enThe school meal programmeschool learnerswell-beingshort term hungernutritionparticipantsdecentralised modelDissertationUniversity of the Free State