Because of favoritism toward boys in much of the Third World, most of these children are girls. Each time a school lunch is initiated, attendance doubles and sometimes triples within a short time. Parents encourage boys and girls to go to school to benefit from a nutritious lunch or breakfast. Of equal importance is the dramatic improvement in learning and academic achievement that follows the launching of a school lunch program. Imagine trying to teach a child who has come to school with little or no breakfast and must endure the school day with no lunch.
Nutrition is a precondition of education.
Something else happens when school lunches are established. UN studies in six countries have revealed that illiterate females have an average of six children. The same studies show that girls who go to school marry later and have an average of 2.9 children, whom they are better equipped to nuture and educate. I have discussed the concept of a UN universal school lunch program with President Clinton and others in the administration. The president and his associates were all impressed with the possibility of taking the lead in making this possible.