SDG 1- No Poverty: A summary of how the FRESH Framework and school programs can help to achieve and monitor this UN Goal

This summary explains how various school-based and school-linked programs support global actions to achieve this goal.

The achievement of this goal involves seven sectors; including Development Aid, Welfare/Social Protection, Finance/Taxation, Employment, Early Childhood Education/Care, K-12 Education and Post-Secondary Education & Training, The FRESH Framework and other sources enables us to identify six school programs and four multi-component approaches as well as the indicators related to those school strategies, Five (TBA) global initiatives involving schools as a key partner in achieving this goal have also been identified in this summary.

The Global Partnership for Education has noted that "according to UNESCO, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty - a 12% drop in global poverty - if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills.UNESCO also found that one extra year of schooling increases an individual's earnings by up to 10%, and each additional year of schooling raises average annual gross domestic product by 0.37%.

Excerpts from UN Description of this Goal:

Goal 1 calls for an end to poverty in all its manifestations by 2030. It also aims to ensure social protection for the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic services and support people harmed by climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.

Expanding social protection programmes and targeting appropriate schemes to the poor and most vulnerable can further reduce poverty. Social protection programmes include social assistance, such as cash transfers, school feeding and targeted food assistance, as well as social insurance and labour market programmes, including old-age pensions, disability pensions, unemployment insurance, skills training and wage subsidies, among others.

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School Approaches and Programs that address this Goal:

There are several school multi-intervention programs and single interventions that alleviate poverty. These programs are often grouped and coordinated in these multi-component approaches:
  • School Health & Nutrition Programs in low resource countries (LRC)
  • Education in Emergencies in conflict/disaster affected countries
  • Community Schools in high resource countries (HRC)
  • Community-led schools in low resource countries
  • Schools in Disadvantaged Communities in HRC's
  • Indigenous School Health models in aboriginal communities
  • Dropout Prevention Prevention & Alternative Schooling in high and middle resource countries
  • Holistic Vocational Training Programs in all contexts
  • Integrated Early Childhood Education and Care programs with ongoing supports delivered in primary grades
These school-based and school-linked  policies, programs and practices (FRESH themes/multi-intervention programs) are effective in supporting this goal:
  • cash transfers to parents to increase participation in schooling in low resource and conflict/disaster affected countries/regions
  • building or rebuilding schools to enhance universal access to schooling, especially for girls
  • school feeding programs in low resource and conflict/disaster affected countries/regions
  • school meal programs in disadvantaged communities in high & middle resource countries
  • support programs for school-to-work transitions and secondary school career/technical education for disadvantaged students in high & middle resource countries
  • university-based programs to recruit and support disadvantaged students into post-secondary education and training
The core components of the FRESH Framework also address this goal in these ways:
  • Over-arching policies stipulating that additional funding/staff are to be assigned to deprived regions and communities by education, health, welfare/social protection and other ministries
  • Health, Welfare/Social Protection, Familiy Services and Education Ministries define the minimum school-based or school-linked services that they will provide to children and families
  • Health, Protection/Security/Police, Education, Emergency Response  and Environment Ministries define the minimum conditions and policies/procedures to ensure a safe and healthy physical environment in schools and school grounds
The cross-cutting themes within the FRESH Framework can be applied to this goal in these ways:
  • disadvantaged students can be encouraged to participate in schooling through the assignment of mentors and community elders

Schools help to develop these skills, beliefs, attitudes and values within students related to this goal:
  • students acquire a sense of global citizenship that includes a concern for others in low resource and conflict/disaster affected countries and regions
  • all students develop social responsibility that includes a concern for the welfare and health or others
Current & Recent Global/UN Initiatives to Achieve this Goal:

Recent and ongoing events and initiatives include:
Current & Recent Global School Initiatives related to this Goal:

Recent and ongoing events and initiatives include:
  • Low resource countries around the world hold most of the poorest populations. Different multi-component approaches, such as School Health & Nutrition programs, are used to frame and coordinate multiple interventions to address this context. The FRESH Partners are organizi9ng a series of Webinars, collections of resources and summaries of better practices.
  • UNHCR Education Strategy 2012-2016
    This education strategy is anchored in a renewed focus on ensuring the provision of refugee education, not as a peripheral stand-alone service but as a core component of UNHCR’s protection and durable solutions mandate.
  • The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) facilitates communications and cooperation among organizations and agencies responding to emergencies caused by conflicts and disasters.
  • In 2010, over 200 participants at a global school health conference endorsed a consensus statement on the needs of students and schools in disadvantaged communities within high resource countries. The statement identifies strengths, needs/problems and over 25 education, health, development and social programs that can be delivered through schools to support these students and their families.
  • in 2007-10, the National Collaborating Centre on Aboriginal Health, the CCL Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre and the International  School Health Network collaborated in the development of a consensus-based Indigenous School Health Framework. This paper was developed in cooperation with community leaders, practitioners and researchers from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit nations in Canada as well as with indigenous school health leaders from the Seminole, Navajo and Hawaiian nations in the United States of America and the Maori and Torres Islander nations in the Pacific among others.
    The project activities include the development of an overview of culturally relevant practices and inventory of resources, a literature review, wiki-based consultation, meetings and workshops in Canada (Yukon), the United States (Florida) and Australia (Queensland). These consultations were led by indigenous school health practitioners and leaders with support from the Canadian, American, New Zealand and Australian school health associations in cooperation with the International School Health Network. The final publication provides a framework for resdesigning school-based health programs to better meet the needs of Indigenous children and communities. The framework is based on 'five strong threads' that shape Aboriginal world views, as identified through international collaborations among Indigenous practitioners
Overview of UN Targets for this Goal:

1.1 By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
1.5 By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
1.a Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
1.b Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions
School-Related Indicators from the FRESH Framework & School Programs/ Approaches

The following indicators are included in the FRESH Framework, its thematic applications on various health, social, safety and economic problems and other sources or updates on the FRESH Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance. The indicators describe the type, frequency and data sources of monitoring that can be done. As well, the FRESH Framework provides suggestions for monitoring at the national and school levels.

School Feeding Programs
  • Number of school feeding days as percentage of actual school days.
    (To be reported annually, based on monitoring reports)
  • Planned/delivered ration kilocalories (kcal/child/day).
    (To be reported annually, from project/program documents)
  • Cost of school feeding per child per year.
    (To be reported annually, from project/program documents    )














As well, the progress being made in relation to the implementation and maintenance of these core components and cross-cutting themes in the FRESH Framework can be monitored in relation to this goal:

These school-related organizational and systems capacities should also be monitored in relation to this goal:
  • Development agencies and donors provide ongoing funding to low resource countries to maintain government/agency infrastructure after or between delivery of specific projects or program start-ups
  • Formal and informal mechanisms, agreements and procedures have been established between ministries and agencies so that school-related programs and services to deprived regions and communities are coordinated using the school as a hub for delivery

Additional Funding/Staffing for Schools & Services in deprived regions or communities
  • The K-12 Education Ministry provides additional funding to schools in disadvantaged communities or regions
  • The Health Ministry provides additional funding to clinics and health centres in disadvantaged regions to work with schools
  • The Welfare/Social Services Ministry provides additional funding or staffing to its centres to work with schools in disadvantaged regions or communities