Among 25 provinces of Cambodia, Kampong Chhnang Province has the highest rates of underweight and wasting among children under five (Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey 2021-22). In response, the Kampong Leng Livelihood Improvement Project (KLIP) has been working on integration of locally-produced Furikake into school meals (breakfast) in collaboration with local authorities and the community.

Furikake is nutritious fish powder seasoning produced by local people in the Kampong Leng district of Kampong Chhnang province. It is made from local ingredients such as smoked fish, river shrimp, pumpkin, sesame, moringa and other green vegetables. Furikake is rich in calcium and other essential nutrients that support children’s growth (One tablespoon of Furikake contains half of the calcium in a glass of milk).

The ingredients of Furikake.

Finding its high nutritional value, the Deputy Provincial Governor of Kompong Chhnang Province recommended adding Furikake to the school meal program (In cambodia, school meal is provided for breakfast).

Meetings were held with education officials, local authorities, and school principals to disciuss how Furikake could be included in school meals in a sustainable way. In particular, the main challenge was the limited school budget. It would be difficult to purchase Furikake without external support. To overcome this challenge, FIDR, schools, and local authorities have committed to involving students' parents in this initiative.

The KLIP team met with counterparts and parents of students.

We discussed with members of the school committee and parents whose children attend these schools. Since many parents were involved and some were absent, the meetings were held twice. Furthermore, we held a promotional campaign to introduce Furikake to the parents. As part of the campaign, we made announcements with a megaphone on Tuk Tuk driving in the villages to boost awareness of Furikake in the community. Although it took time to explain its benefits and encourage parents to agree to contribute small funds for its purchase, most of the parents became interested in Furikake and agreed to provide it to their children in the school meals.

Tuk Tuk with megaphone drove in the villages as a Furikake promotion

While most of parents agreed to contribute funds, a few did not because of their limited incomes. Especially, parents with multiple children hesitated as they had to pay more. To address this issue, the schools reached a better solution: offering discounts to these parents, with the commune allocating a small budget to support them. Additionally, our Furikake producer group also supported the school by providing a discount.

The KLIP team held a campaign to promote Furikake to parents in the community and at school.

As a result of these efforts, two schools started purchasing Furikake for school meals. It began with small quantities, purchased twice a month, but now the schools and the community are being committed to increasing the frequency of this special meal to improve children’s nutrition. Currently, two other schools are discussing this with parents and are expected to start soon.

Offering furikake in school meals has proven to be a community-driven way of improving children's nutrition. The collaboration among parents, teachers, producer groups, and local authorities reflects their commitments to improving children’s health with local initiatives. To continue this work, FIDR and the local authorities will encourage the community to expand this movement to other schools and create further positive changes for a better future in Kampong Chhnang province. 

The students enjoyed eating Furikake with rice.