Malnutrition remains a significant issue among the children of Kanjoo, leading to stunted growth, poor academic performance, and long-term health complications. When a child does not receive adequate nutrients over a long period of time, stunting and chronic malnutrition occurs leading to impaired growth and development. The problem is particularly severe in semi-arid areas like Kanjoo where food insecurity is high.
Effects of Malnutrition on School Children:
- Low energy levels, leading to poor concentration and school performance.
- Increased absenteeism, as malnourished children are more prone to illness.
- Delayed physical and cognitive development, impacting future earning potential.
The purpose of our Sustainable Feeding Programme is to address this issue and enhance food security, improve students' nutritional status and provide the necessary food groups for a balanced, nutrient rich diet.
For some children, their school lunch is the only meal that they receive in a day and many children come to school just for the promise of a meal. However, the children of the families that cannot contribute the necessary termly grains, are often sent home, as the schools struggle to feed the large number of learners. With no access to food at home either, the children do not return to school missing out on their valuable education.
The core strategy of our programme involves establishing a kitchen garden for fresh vegetables and cultivating staple crops on a 2 acre area of farmland. These spaces also provide an ideal learning environment to develop interdisciplinary themes related to agricultural, environmental and food education, whilst providing hands-on activities to develop the skills necessary for sustainable community engagement in food production.
Â
Objectives
- Improve the nutritional status of students through balanced meals.
- Reduce student absenteeism
- Improve learning performance.
- Promote community involvement in sustainable agriculture.
- Provide hands-on agricultural training to students.
In Kalimikuu and Kanjoo Schools, the programmes are fully operational, featuring grain storage facilities, irrigation systems, and pest control measures. BMI data of all students has been collected to establish a baseline for assessing the programme's impact on malnutrition. Parents actively contribute labor for planting, weeding, and harvesting, while lessons on modern farming techniques extend beyond the school, benefiting the surrounding communities.
We aim to set up a Sustainable Feeding Programme in all 7 of our partner schools. To do this, we must ensure that there is a reliable source of water onsite in each school which we are addressing through our water projects.