News
2024
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2023, Issue 3
In this issue we highlight updates from recent Child Survival Action efforts; the last Task Force Steering Committee meeting held in Malawi; the School Health and Nutrition e-course launch. We also share updates from the subgroups and news from our network members.
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2024, Issue 2
In this issue we highlight updates from the Child Survival Action (CSA) Initiative at the 77th World Health Assembly and new CSA resources; a school health and nutrition e-learning course; updates from the subgroups; and upcoming events and member-submitted resources.
| Report
Progress on drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools 2015 – 2023
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report, ‘Progress on drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools 2015 – 2023’ presents updated national, regional and global estimates for WASH in schools at the mid-point of the SDG period. This report has a special focus on menstrual health and examines the availability of national data corresponding to internationally recommended priority indicators on this topic.
| Special Update
School meals: A toolkit for parliamentarians
The International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd), with the support of the World Food Programme and the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition, produced ‘School meals: A toolkit for parliamentarians’. The toolkit provides members of parliament with the evidence to make the case for school meals along with actionable advice and guidance.
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2024, Issue 1
In this issue we highlight updates from the Child Survival Action Initiative at CPHIA 2023, results from the members' survey, takeaways from the last Steering Committee, spotlight a Task Force member, and provide subgroup updates.
2023
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2023, Issue 3
In this issue we highlight updates from the Child Survival Action Initiative and Sierra Leone's call to the region; share the new iCCM Toolkit and the French version of the School Health and Nutrition Hub; and provide subgroup updates.
| Press Release
Calling All African Health Leaders: Ensuring the Survival of Africa’s Children Demands African Leadership and Accountability
Sierra Leone is moving fast on a major health concern, one that could have grave implications for the future of the country. While this emergency may never receive the kind of global attention that COVID-19 inspired in 2020 when it was declared a public health emergency of international concern, it is no less a threat to humanity, and to the future of our African children.
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2023, Issue 2
In this issue we recap the successful CSA launch, provide a preview of the Task Force's upcoming conference, share a new resource in the School Health and Nutrition Hub, and give subgroup updates.
| Report
State of School Feeding Worldwide, 2022
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) released its biannual flagship publication, providing an overview on how countries support their children through effective school feeding programmes. This report uses the best available data sources to provide an overview of coverage, implementation practices and costs of school-based health and nutrition programmes worldwide.
| Special Update
International School Meals Day: Launch of New Animated Video
Learning while hungry is nearly impossible. In honor of International School Meals Day, the Child Health Task Force developed a new animated video on the benefits of school feeding programs for children. School meals are one of the most effective non-teaching interventions to improve learning. They encourage children to attend school regularly and foster equitable opportunities to learn. Making these programs effective requires the support and input of many sectors, including education, health, and agriculture.
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2023, Issue 1
In this issue we share updates from the last Task Force Steering Committee meeting, the CSA blueprint and last country mission trip, annual members' survey results, spotlight on member Rabiu Idris Yau, and the upcoming Task Force-hosted virtual conference. We also give a snapshot on the subgroups' latest activities, news from the network and upcoming events.
| Webinar
Ready to Learn and Thrive: Sharing the School Health and Nutrition Global Status Report
The Child Health Task Force, UNESCO, and LSHTM co-hosted a webinar to mark the publication of the report Ready to Learn and Thrive: School Health and Nutrition around the World. Listen to the recording and access the presentation slides here on the website.
| Webinar
School Health and Nutrition: Reach and Relevance for Adolescents
The Global Financing Facility (GFF) hosted a webinar to launch a suite of tools designed to guide program planners through some of the key questions that arise in program development and investment prioritization to support adolescents in achieving their full potential. The event engaged the World Bank Task Team Leaders, technical bodies, and external funding agencies to discuss how these tools can be widely applied in practice. Watch the recording here.
2022
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2022, Issue 3
In this issue we share the Child Survival Action Theory of Change, introduce two hubs new to the Task Force website, and multisectoral tools and resources for child health. We also give a snapshot on the subgroups' latest activities, news from the network and upcoming events.
| Press Release
World Mental Health Day
On World Mental Health Day, October 6th, 2022, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), gave a speech at the UN Transforming Education Summit emphasizing the role of schools in protecting the mental health of children. WHO and UNICEF also launched a briefing note for national governments on promoting and protecting mental health in schools and learning environments. Learn more about supporting children's mental health and wellbeing through schools in this infographic, part of the newly released microlearning toolkit on school health and nutrition.
| Report
Highlights from "Ready to learn and thrive: school health and nutrition around the world"
UNESCO, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Partnership for Education, UNICEF, World Bank, World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO), with the support of the Research Consortium for School Health and Nutrition and the UN Nutrition Secretariat released a brief presenting highlights from the new global school health and nutrition status report. The brief summarizes the report, Ready to learn and thrive: School health and nutrition around the world. Based on the most comprehensive and up to date data, the report provides an overview of the extent to which countries have school health and nutrition (SHN) policies and programmes in place. It aims to encourage efforts to improve, scale up and sustain SHN policies and programmes to improve overall well-being of learners and to provide a basis for monitoring progress. Stay tuned for the release of the full-length report in November, 2022.
| Quarterly Newsletter
Quarterly Newsletter 2022, Issue 2
In this issue we summarize the Child Survival Action side event, climate change and child health discussion, and an iCCM subgroup hosted roundtable. We feature a Reimagining TA brief on the critical shifts, two case studies, and updates from all the Task Force subgroups.
| Webinar
Healthy & Educated – School Health and Nutrition to transform education and young people’s lives
Join this hybrid event as part of the June 28-30 UN Transforming Education Pre-Summit in Paris. The event will feature speakers from around the world, and will be attended by the multiple partners involved in efforts to make every school a health promoting school. It aims to explore the integrated approach to school health and nutrition and highlight its positive effects.
Sponsored by Finland, Namibia and the Global Partnership for Education, with the support of UNESCO, UNICEF and WFP, the event will be in English and French. Watch online here from 6:30-8:00 AM EDT on June 28 2022.
| Special Update
Why Policy Makers Should Prioritize School Health Programs
Check out this newly published brief distilling questions and responses from interviews with 16 USAID Africa Bureau Missions on operationalizing multi-sector coordination for school health. Read the full report here.
| Webinar
Multi-sectoral Approaches to Child Health: A discussion series
The Re-imagining the Package of Care for Children subgroup of the Child Health Task Force is hosting a discussion series on enablers and challenges to effective multi-sectoral approaches to child health programming. Register here to join! Recordings and presentation slides will be posted here.