COVID-19 has disrupted programs that assist vulnerable
populations worldwide. In addition to education, schools
provide daily meals and other services that many families
depend on; when schools closed during the pandemic, those
services ceased. Kibrom Abay and colleagues explore the
food security consequences of school closures in Nigeria,
using household survey and local government area data.
Pre-COVID food security benefits for households from school
feeding disappeared after schools were closed. The findings
show a gap in current food security safety nets for vulnerable
populations that rely on schools, suggesting that alternate
options should be considered as the risk of pandemics and
other shocks rises.-John McDermott, series co-editor and
Director, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for
Nutrition and Health (A4NH).

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown policies
have disrupted education, health, and nutrition services
globally, with severe implications for children's well-being. As
the pandemic spread, more than 190 countries implemented
countrywide school closures, affecting 1.6 billion children
around the world. In addition to the direct effects on learning,
these closures affect household food security by interrupting
school feeding services.

In Nigeria, abrupt nationwide school closures beginning in
March 2020 left more than 9 million students without regular
school meals. Despite anecdotal evidence and speculative
hypotheses, there is a lack of rigorous empirical studies on their own and 60% of rural areas. With rapid

urbanization and migration, our rural

population is shifting to the urban

side. This has been increasing since

the New Economic Policy in 1991,

with the establishment of many

multinational companies and other

industries people have migrated to

the cities for better earning and

living.

Though it has helped the urban India
to develop and grow, the rural India
has been left behind in this process.
Whatever may be the facilities in the
cities, the real India lies in the rural
areas. The beauty of India reflects in

the rural areas.

As it is called that India is a 'Country

of Villages', our culture and history is
protected by these villages. We will
surely witness easy living, lots of
facilities, big complexes, malls,
better roads, beaches, parks and

other items of luxury in the cities but

the 'Heart of India' lies in our rural

India, where we witness our

traditions, cultures, foods, clothing,

monuments and historical remains

in our villages. And the most

important, thing we witness Unity,

Love, Secularism and a feeling of

togetherness in our rural India..

No matter what the population of the
village is, no matter what is the
occupation of the people living there,
the Unity that people show their
reflects the policy of India that it has
been promoting that is "Vasudaiv

Kutumbkam" that means.

We may feel very relaxed and

peaceful in cities while sitting in our

rooms, with the AC ON and watching

TV shows, but the real peace lies in
the fields of rural India within the
nature, below this clear blue sky.
Sitting beneath a tree, along side our
friends and enjoying a stress-free
life, is what the city people don't
witness. Walking along the fields,
enjoying the beauty of nature, the
time spent here is worth and it surely
helps us heal our stress.

The way people are attached here

and the way they communicate, the

respect they show, reflects the

manners and etiquettes that we

often miss in urban areas. People

here are concerned for each other

and are always ready with a helping

hand for other people. People here

celebrate each and every festival

with a feeling of togetherness and

this way we witness our traditions

and culture. We experience dance
forms that are still unrecognised. We
come across various varities of
foods items that we will never get to
eat in the luxury longues of cities

and many more experiences.

It has been good to see our govt.

taking measures for the

development of our rural India and

we are achieving these targets

through the use of advanced

technologies. We should be always

proud that we are the citizens of

India and feel blessed to be called

Indians.