It was a hot and sunny afternoon. Nahid comes home from school and calls out to his mother, “Ma, I'm home and I'm hungry!” His mother reaches out and pulls him close to her, holding him is silence. She has nothing to give him, not even leftovers. This is nothing new. They often face this bleak state, the mother in misery, the boy confused, restless. Nahid can't think clearly, going school on an empty stomach and returning home to find no food. He drops out of school, deciding to work during school hours. He is just another “drop-out”.

But, after a year Nahid starts going to school once again. He is a meritorious student of Karimer Khamar Primary School in Kurigram District. He says, “When they started giving biscuits to the students, I started going to school again. With these biscuits, I don't need rice anymore. I can pay attention to my studies now.”

Nahid to rushes to school because of the biscuits. He says he will not go to school if the biscuits are stopped. He would then work in a carpenter's shop or a tea stall or a rice mill, or else he would just have to go hungry. The biscuits banish his hunger and give him energy. This energy has made him a student once more, retrieved from the ranks of the drop-outs. Studying in Class IV, Nahid is now at the top of his class. He will enter the primary scholarship exam next year.

The teacher enters the Class IV classroom at Tapurchar Government Primary School. The children stand up and greet her. They are a lively lot, taking an interest in their lessons. It is evident that most of them come from poor, struggling families, yet there is a healthy glow to their faces. Once this class concludes, they will each receive a packet of biscuits under the WFP scheme were biscuits are distributed among 600 thousand children of about 2,635 schools. This tiffin has created a wave of enthusiasm among the young ones. It has made them interested in studies. It has staved off their hunger.

A young boy is quick to respond to a query: “My name is Jewel.” When asked what he thinks about the biscuits, he says, I really enjoy them. I don't have anything to eat in the morning when I come to school so I munch up the biscuits the moment I get them. I don't feel hungry anymore then. Even if I don't eat anything else, these biscuits are very filling.”

Jewel is a schoolboy from the village Araji Palashbari of Kurigram District. His father is a rickshaw puller and his mother works in people's houses. He is the eldest of three brothers and sisters.

His brother studies in Class I of the same school. They are a poverty stricken family. How come Jewel attends school, despite the overriding poverty? Jewel replies in simple terms: ‘I come because I am hungry, because of the biscuits.

” Would he come if there were no biscuits? “Of course not,” he replies bluntly. “How can I study if I am constantly hungry?” The headmistress and the school management committee members standing nearby nod their heads in understanding. They say that this is the true picture. After the biscuit distribution plan began, school attendance increased to a full 90 percent. The drop-out rate has fallen and the children's attention span has increased considerably. Before, their attention would waver halfway through the class and they would find ways to slip out of school to go home. Hunger would prevent them from concentrating on their studies. After finishing the biscuits, they complete their classes properly and then return home. If this programme ends, they may once again lose their way to school.

Jewel is no longer chased by the pangs of hunger. He attends classes regularly and is doing well in his studies. His teacher sees a promising future ahead of him. He is talented and eager to learn. He wants to become a doctor. But he is worried. After Class V they won't be given biscuits anymore. How will he study then? But he is determined not to let anything stand in the way of his future. At least for now he doesn't have to worry about going hungry. This has given him a determination to carry on at all costs. Success beckons him.