Initiative to Cultivate a Breakfast Culture

-Teachers and students are implementing the “Breakfast for Yourself” project-

A healthy and balanced diet begins with a regular breakfast. Research has shown that eating breakfast boosts metabolism, stabilizes blood sugar levels, strengthens immunity, and increases energy. I’d like to share an innovative initiative that is promoting the breakfast culture in the soum, where teachers and students are collaborating to produce food, and the school is generating income in the process.

 

…Uvurkhangai province. Bogd soum. General secondary school No. 1 dormitory cafeteria. Boys and girls preparing breakfast…

Students are quickly and efficiently preparing breakfast. They make a variety of items such as sandwiches, rolls, carrots, whole-grain rice balls, kimbap, vegetable soup, fruit salad, and fresh juices delivering the same taste and quality as professional chefs.  Occasionally, a professional dietitian is on hand to offer advice. This is all part of the “Breakfast for Yourself” project, which encourages active participation from both teachers and students.

Afterward, these products are packaged, transported, and sold at the cafeteria set up at the school. They are also delivered to other organizations in the soum upon request. With a population of over 5,600 Bogd soum is home to government and service organizations, as well as two secondary schools, creating a solid local market for these products.

One of the students preparing breakfast, B. Usukh-Ireedui shared, “I am a 6th-grade student in class 6B at school No. 1. I volunteered for this project and have already been working here for over a month. Since I have classes during the day, I come 3-4 times a week at 9:30 a.m. and work for about 2 hours. My mother is a chef, and I love cooking. Here, I’ve learned to prepare all kinds of fast food. The other kids often ask me how I make such delicious food. I buy the ingredients and experiment with recipes at home. My classmates frequently come and buy food from the cafeteria.”

…The fast food cafeteria, tables and chairs at the school No 1. Teachers and students having breakfast…

The cafeteria was packed with customers during the school break, and it’s like this every day. Children were buying everything from boiled eggs and sandwiches to kimbap, which cost 2,500 MNT. Some sat at tables, while others ate their breakfast while standing. Fast food has many advantages, such as being safe, healthy, affordable, and fresh, and it allows students and school staff to save time.

The “Breakfast for Yourself” project is supported by Save the Children’s “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, which provided equipment and tools worth 122 million MNT, and shared their methodology as part of the School-Based Enterprise initiative. During the launch of the project, the Nutrition Research Center at the Industrial Technology School of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology delivered a presentation to the residents and students of the soum on proper nutrition, health, and the importance of breakfast. They also organized an exhibition and tasting of product samples. This event had a positive impact on the community, leaving people satisfied and confident in supporting this innovative initiative at the school.

L.Gantulga, the director of Bogd soum general secondary school No.1 explained, “Breakfast is sold at the school cafeteria and also delivered to official organizations, and to school No.2. Since the breakfast is prepared in the dormitory kitchen, it’s not possible for people to come and eat there. To manage this, we created a social chat group for taking orders. The students are more motivated to work because they receive a certain share of the sales revenue from the products they prepare and sell.

We spoke with two boys enjoying their breakfast in the cafeteria. O. Dagvadorj and B. Khos-Erdene are 4th-grade students in class 4A. Their classes start at 8:00 a.m., so sometimes they don’t have enough time to have breakfast. They enjoy buying sandwiches and rolls here during recess. When they don’t have money, they buy food on credit and their parents pay for it later. They also mentioned that there’s nothing to eat at the store next to the school, and that sweets aren’t healthy.

Since the launch of the “Breakfast for Yourself” project, it has generated sales totaling over 23 million MNT.

…Members of the breakfast culture project team. Students applying the knowledge they’ve gained in class to real-life situations and developing their skills….

   

One of the goals of the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project, implemented by Save the Children, is to prepare adolescents and young people for the future labor market. To turn this goal into reality, and promote a culture of breakfast and healthy eating habits throughout the soum, the team behind the “Breakfast for Yourself” School-Based Enterprise project is engaging in specific business activities that involve both students and teachers. The proceeds are being reinvested to support the school’s main objectives.

This activity enables students to apply the knowledge they have gained in the classroom to real-life situations, while developing practical skills. Their ultimate goal is to successfully implement the project through the participation of the soum and local community, so that not only schools, children, and teachers, but the entire soum, can learn about proper nutrition. Throughout the project, representatives from general secondary schools participating in the School-Based Enterprise initiative have visited businesses in Ulaanbaatar engaged in similar operations to learn from their experiences.

During this time, the “Breakfast for Yourself” project team visited the national manufacturer “Batbaigal Bakery,” where they received professional and practical advice on a range of topics, including healthy and nutritious food products, recipes, human resources, finance, hygiene, and sanitation.

One innovative initiative within the “Entrepreneurship-Focused Socio-Emotional Skills for the Most Vulnerable Youth in Rural Mongolia” project is the concept of school-based enterprises. This involves teachers and students working together to conduct production and sales activities, with the proceeds being used for child development programs. It also provides an opportunity to apply what students learn in school to real-life situations.

As part of the School-Based Enterprise initiative, school No. 1 in Bogd soum, Uvurkhangai province, is implementing the “Breakfast for Yourself” project. Similar projects are also underway at schools No. 1 in each of the following soums: Zereg soum of Khovd province, Telmen soum of Zavkhan province, Erdenetsagaan soum of Sukhbaatar province, Sumber soum of Gobisumber province, and others. The project is also being implemented at school No. 2 in Kharkhorin soum, Uvurkhangai province.