This study examines the budget adequacy of Peru’s Qali Warma National School Feeding Program and the potential transfer of operating costs to beneficiary households between 2014 and 2024. Using a quantitative descriptive-correlational approach, it analyzes ENAHO survey data, budget records, and administrative sources. Findings indicate a persistent funding gap alongside an increase in the proportion of households reporting financial contributions despite the program’s free-service design. These patterns are consistent with a disproportionate concentration of contribution burden among poor and rural households, though the cross-sectional design precludes causal attribution.
Juan Carlos Alcazar-Gonzales (Wed,) studied this question.