Give children the gift of food

Children are going hungry

'Where I came from, Molo, was better. I miss it. There was a feeding programme there and I was given lunch at school. Here there is no such help. We are sometimes hungry and go to sleep without food.' - Joseph, a pupil at Echariria Primary School, Kenya.

One of the key issues facing poor rural communities in Kenya and Uganda is the daily struggle to put enough food on the table each meal time.

Many children go hungry as their parents are unable to provide their children with three meals a day and a lot of schools simply don't have the means to provide lunch for pupils. Many children will actually miss school in order to earn money or take part in subsistence farming activities so their families have enough food to survive.

Some children receive as few as half the calories they need. This makes them more vulnerable to infection and leads to increased absenteeism and poor academic results. Additionally, a lack of food during the day leaves pupils lethargic, unable to concentrate and this, again, affects academic performance. 

The solution

There are simple and sustainable solutions that can help the communities we work with experience improved food security and nutritional levels.

School gardens:

School gardening is an excellent means of teaching children new skills. Children develop an understanding of agricultural productivity and the environmental impact of farming through practical lessons, for example on crop rotation and drought management.

Parents also benefit from learning best practice from their children and from helping in the school demonstration plot. This leads to increased productivity of subsistence farming and decreases the pressure on children to abandon school to support household food and income generation.

School gardens give schools the ability to offer nutritious meals to pupils during the school day, which will lead to improved academic performance.

Savings and loans groups:

Starting a savings and loans group enables neighbours to pool their savings and access small, short term loans to invest in income generating activities. The disposable income they earn from these activities, in addition to the interest on their savings, can then be used to provide families with basic food necessities. Loans can also be used to help households improve productivity of subsistence farming such as using drought resistant seeds or growing crops that fetch a high return at market.

This simple activity has been shown to increase the number of households that can afford three meals a day by 45%.

How you can help

We urgently need sponsorship for school gardens, giving the gift of freedom from hunger to the children in the communities where we work.

• A £2,500 donation will pay for a new school garden, storage and facilities to cook the food, as well as developing children's skills in agricultural productivity.
• A £500 donation will start a savings and loans group, giving 25 families access to safe financial services and helping them improve their livelihoods.

If you are interested in sponsoring a particular school and community to stamp out hunger, please get in touch today.

Contact gavin.salmon@build-africa.org.uk or simply fill in this form and we will get back to you.

If you would like to make a donation now, please click the Donate button.