BUK BILONG PIKININI’S BREAKFAST PROGRAM SHOWS POSITIVE IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S LEARNING

Port Moresby, NCD – The successful pilot of Buk bilong Pikinini’s (BbP) Breakfast Program with support from Sanitarium, Australian Export Consortia and Market 2000 has demonstrated significant improvements in children’s alertness, classroom engagement, and educational outcomes. Launched in Term Four of 2024 in one of BbP’s library learning centre (LLC), the program now looks to be expanded across all LLCs in 2025 as part of BbP’s Nutrition Education Program (NEP) with donor support.

The initiative comes at a crucial time, aligning with key findings from the World Bank’s 2024 Economic Report, which identified Papua New Guinea as having the highest rate of stunting in the world. Despite the country’s rich availability of organic, nutrient-dense food and a strong culture of agriculture, many children still face malnutrition-related developmental challenges. Addressing this gap, BbP’s NEP equips children and their families with critical nutrition knowledge while ensuring students start their day with the fuel they need to learn and thrive in the classroom.

The Breakfast Program’s pilot results show its effectiveness—children who participated in the pilot in term 4 of 2024 showed greater concentration during class, improved academic performance, and stronger social connections. As the program continues in 2025, it is expected to further contribute to reducing malnutrition’s impact on education and long-term development through better nutritional support for brain health in PNG.

Providing children with a nutritious start to the day has proven to be a game-changer for optimal brain health in their learning journey. And hopefully with the expansion of this program, we hope to see even greater improvements in classroom engagement and overall well-being.

This initiative has been made possible through the generous support of Sanitarium, Australian Export Consortia, and Market 2000, whose contributions have helped ensure that children receive essential nourishment with a supply of Weetbix and So Good Oat Milk each morning.