A coordinated response to the needs of the learner: how deworming and school meals together will contribute to the global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

In the first few months of 2020, 1.5 billion children worldwide were excluded from schools by the COVID-19 pandemic. They lost out on education, some for as long as two years (and some permanently), and millions of the poorest children were also suddenly deprived of their one reliable meal a day and their access to school-based preventative treatment for intestinal worms and schistosomiasis. Today, more than 65 countries, with over 30 in Africa, are rolling out recovery programs that aim to rebuild education systems to provide learning while simultaneously restoring the health of the learner through various initiatives.