With the support of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), professionals from the National Institute of Student Welfare (INABIE) will learn about the implementation of school feeding programmes in Brazil and Paraguay, with a focus on public procurement from family farming, logistics and school health experiences.
Paulo Beraldo
Brasilia, Brazil, 11 September 2026 — Professionals from the Dominican Republic’s National Institute of Student Welfare (INABIE) will participate, from 14 to 18 September, in a technical mission to Brazil and Paraguay to exchange experiences and good practices on school feeding and learn about management models that can contribute to strengthening the country’s school feeding programme (PAE).
Over five days, the Dominican delegation will learn about experiences related to the management and financing of school feeding programmes, public procurement mechanisms involving family farming, regulatory frameworks, school menu planning, logistics, storage, distribution, social oversight and sustainability. The agenda will include school visits and dialogues with farmers who supply food to school feeding programmes.
The mission will also provide an opportunity to learn about school health programmes and mechanisms for coordination between the education and health sectors, with the aim of identifying lessons that can contribute to the overall well-being of the Dominican educational community.
The initiative is promoted by INABIE, with the support and organization of the Sustainable School Feeding Network (RAES), and with the participation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) country offices in the Dominican Republic, Brazil and Paraguay. It also receives support from the Government of Brazil, through the National Fund for Educational Development (FNDE), and from the Government of Paraguay, through the Ministry of Social Development (MDS).
RAES is an initiative jointly developed since 2018 by FNDE and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ABC/MRE), with FAO serving as its Executive Secretariat. The network currently comprises 18 member countries, including Brazil, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic.
Healthy and sustainable schools
INABIE implements the School Feeding Programme, one of the main social investments of the Dominican Government, providing breakfast and lunch to more than 2 million students.
In cooperation with FAO, INABIE is implementing the project “Healthy and Sustainable Schools: Innovation and Strengthening of the School Feeding Programme”, which aims to strengthen links between local agricultural production and school feeding, promote healthy eating habits and contribute to improving students’ nutrition.