Primary School Lunch Program
The average child in Kibera will be lucky to have one meal a day regularly. So providing lunch in school helps in many ways. For many of the children the meal, which they have at school, is all they will have. Therefore, it is a huge incentive for them to attend consistently. Also, when children are hungry they cannot concentrate, so a coherent lunch program is helping with the level of learning in class. In addition to this, the children’s health is well improved.
As part of the feeding programme, there are a set of values, which we are working hard to uphold.
Keep it Local: The charity seeks to source food locally, to inspire ownership by immediate community. As members of the community start to benefit from the presence of the schools, they will defend them should there be any undesirable attacks.
Children from the five schools supported by the Kanzi-Kibera Friends have now been fed consistently for a year through our lunch programme. This is important to the Kanzi-Kibera trustees, who have decided along with the school administrators that having a consistent lunch programme is a top priority.
One of the administrators, Jane Aluvisia, explained by saying, “When children come to school hungry, they cannot concentrate. Some of them fall asleep, while others stray off hunting for food wherever they might find scraps.”
Feeding the children lunch in school has had multiple positive effects. The children have become more consistent in their class attendance. The children are also concentrating better and, therefore, have the opportunity to attain higher levels of learning. The lunches served are balanced and nutritious, protecting the children from many of the nutrition based illnesses that are often found in Kibera. Having a consistent lunch program is improving the health and the education of Kibera’s students.
As part of the feeding programme, there are a set of values, which we are working hard to uphold.
Keep it Local: The charity seeks to source food locally, to inspire ownership by immediate community. As members of the community start to benefit from the presence of the schools, they will defend them should there be any undesirable attacks.
Children from the five schools supported by the Kanzi-Kibera Friends have now been fed consistently for a year through our lunch programme. This is important to the Kanzi-Kibera trustees, who have decided along with the school administrators that having a consistent lunch programme is a top priority.
One of the administrators, Jane Aluvisia, explained by saying, “When children come to school hungry, they cannot concentrate. Some of them fall asleep, while others stray off hunting for food wherever they might find scraps.”
Feeding the children lunch in school has had multiple positive effects. The children have become more consistent in their class attendance. The children are also concentrating better and, therefore, have the opportunity to attain higher levels of learning. The lunches served are balanced and nutritious, protecting the children from many of the nutrition based illnesses that are often found in Kibera. Having a consistent lunch program is improving the health and the education of Kibera’s students.
Preventing Hand-out Culture
We are working hard to involve the community so we are not perpetuating the ‘hand-out’ culture. Ultimately, we would like to encourage the empowerment of the community to help itself. Kiberans are generally very hard-working people who lack opportunity to earn themselves the basic material needs. Eventually, it is our vision to support a few members of the community to do some farming so as to supply fresh fruit and vegetable for the children.
Local Application
The charity works with local contacts to figure out where the short fall is and to attend to it. Local people, those working within the schools are encouraged to make an effort to source the food. Then we come alongside them to lend a hand.
Advocacy
Every once in a while, the government has relief food donated. For needy people to receive it, they have to apply as a community or a school; however, for schools with very small numbers of children, applications are never successful. The charity therefore supports the five schools in applying together as one. There are also other occasions when decisions are being voted upon in the community, when the schools come to the table as one; they are definitely given a hearing!
