March 14, 2025
THIMPHU – The premise is simple: one egg per child, every school day. The execution, however, is anything but.
The One-Child, One-Egg initiative, launched in February, is designed to combat malnutrition by ensuring school children receive essential nutrients. But for students in the country’s most remote schools—some with only a handful of children—getting eggs to their plates is easier said than done.
The programme’s success depends on overcoming complex logistical challenges. Treacherous mountain trails, daylong treks, and unreliable transport routes stand between students and their daily dose of protein. In some villages, delivery takes an entire day, relying on local transporters and community volunteers to carry the eggs over long distances.
In Bhutan, malnutrition remains a significant concern, with 17.9 percent of children under five stunted, 8.7 percent underweight, and 36.5 percent of adolescent girl anemic. Eggs are considered a superfood because they are a rich source of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals such as Vitamin D, B12, and iron, all essential for children’s growth, development, and cognitive function. For some children, schools are the only place they receive nutrition.
One of the most isolated schools benefiting from the initiative is Dukti Primary School (DPS) in Trashiyangtse’s Yalang gewog. Only six students attend DPS, which is located next to the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. Along the way lies another school, Melongkhar Primary School (MPS), which has 32 students.
The eggs bound for these schools travel an arduous route, carried by men like Ugyen Chophel and his friend—both from Dukti. with two children at DPS, has taken on the role of egg transporter. His journey begins at 6 am from his village to the nearest road point in Thragom, a grueling seven-hour trek away. By 1 pm, he collects the eggs, carries them in a traditional wicker basket, and hikes another three hours to MPS. From there, he continues toward Dukti, finally arriving around 7 pm.
“It’s exhausting but any extra income is welcome. Since no one else was willing to do it, I took it up,” says Ugyen Chophel. “I am grateful to be part of this noble initiative, especially since my own children benefit.”
He earns Nu 2,000 per trip. While winter deliveries are manageable, the real challenge would come during the monsoon.
“It is a tough job, and eggs are fragile—I broke five during delivery and had to pay for them,” he says. “I am not willing to take that risk unless the pay is increased and I am not held liable for the damage.”
Initially, the One-Child, One-Egg initiative targeted 300 schools. Now, the updated list has 345 schools, including 290 primary schools, five special education institutes, and 50 extended classrooms, benefiting 31,579 students.
Around 169 poultry farmers across the country supply eggs, with the Bhutan Livestock Development Corporation Limited (BLDCL) acting as the aggregator.
In eight districts, including Dagana, Tsirang, and Lhuentse, local farmers meet the entire demand, while elsewhere, a mix of BLDCL and independent farmers supply the eggs.
In the first year of pilot rollout, the initiative is projected to require about 8.4 million eggs annually, with an estimated cost of Nu 101 million to cover 300 schools with 32,000 students.
The BLDCL purchases eggs from farmers at Nu 10 to Nu 12 per piece and also supplies eggs from its own two farms in areas without nearby farmers. The corporation reinvests its profits to subsidise delivery to hard-to-reach areas, covering porter and pony fees.
An official working on the project said the first delivery on February 16 to 300 schools was nothing short of a nightmare. “With logistical issues, miscommunication, and incorrect school enrollment data, we ended up sending too many or too few eggs in some cases and missed nine schools. We still achieved a 97 percent success rate.”
He said that several improvements were needed for smoother operations, as managing and following up with so many schools was challenging and time-consuming.
To streamline the process, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has introduced an online tracking system (Google form) where schools log deliveries in real time. However, payment processing is slow, and officials are working to strengthen supply chain management.
With Bhutan’s rugged terrain and erratic weather, the summer monsoon is expected to pose even greater challenges. While some schools have road access, these are often feeder roads that are hard to access during the monsoon. “In summer, most of the schools will need people to carry the eggs on their backs for delivery,” an official said.
Among the hardest-to-reach locations are highland schools in Lunana and Lingzhi, which reopen in April. In Lunana, where supplies arrive by helicopter, eggs cost between Nu 1,400 and Nu 1,600 per tray, translating to an astonishing Nu 60 per egg. In Soe, where porters transport the eggs at Nu 2,000 per trip, the cost per egg is around Nu 20.
The BLDCL is exploring partnerships with Drukair to transport eggs as part of its corporate social responsibility programme or through passengers travelling to these remote areas.
“Eggs remain fresh for up to a month if transported within two to three days of laying,” an official explained.
The initiative currently delivers eggs twice a month to the schools. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations has committed USD 2 million in funding for the first two years of the project.