An egg a day for kids in rural China

The One Egg Program wasstarted by Shanghai United Foundation and other 9 NGOS on Dec 2010. Up to now, the program has been implemented four years.

By July 31 2014, the One Egg Program has been covering 62 elementary schools in four provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and Guangxi. The program has ensured 11254 kids and teachers in poverty-stricken area in west China one egg a day.

Effectiveness of Program

For students and teachers, an egg one day equal of their having breakfast.

50%-60% of students of program schools walk to school every day, and it will be take one to four hours. They missed breakfast because their poor families can’t make breakfast for them, and their schools don’t provide breakfast too. So they eat eggs for breakfast, and that could help them stay awake or don’t cat naps for the morning classes.

For implementing NGOS, the One Egg Program is a powerful supplement.

There are some education program and poverty program in the One Egg Program project sites, together, these programs are essential to improving education and health of children in impoverished region. Also, cooperation of several programs pools our resources and allows each to contribute what they can.

Major Problems and Solutions

Eggs’ transporting

Now, the schools, where the program “one egg” was involved, almost are located in remote mountainous areas, and it is difficult for the eggs’ transporting, especially in rainy day. Because of the bad weather, the vehicle can't arrive at some schools, and the supply of eggs even has to be cut off.

Facing these difficult, we hope those private vehicles can be rented to carry these eggs when the supplier’ free distribution is halted. In addition, we advice the schoolmasters maintain close relations with the supplier, and inform the supplier of  the consumption of eggs in time, about a week earlier, and the supplier can have enough time to arrange the free distribution.

The price of eggs

As an important part of the program, the price of eggs has a direct impact on the budgets and operating costs of the program. According to the report from the different area, the price of eggs change with the whole market’ price, so it is impossible to calculate all the eggs’ cost precisely, or predict it. As one eggs’ supplier said, the egg has a new price every day.

Considering the price of egg is always floating, on the one hand, the project executing agency should monitor the price of eggs at all time; on the other hand, they must keep a good cooperation with the supplier. Therefore, we hope the eggs’ supplier can approve our public interest concept, and we can get good but inexpensive eggs, or the free transportation.

• One Egg Program Report Of SUF- 2014 1st semester (PDF)