Story by Abigirl Tembo, Health Editor
The School Feeding Programme introduced by the government this year, has proven to be a lifeline for students affected by the El Nino-induced drought, with more than 9 000 metric tonnes of mealie- meal and grain having been delivered to various schools.
Informed by the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee (ZimLAC)’s 2024 report, which revealed the urgent need for food aid and nutrition support,the government’s School Feeding Programme has proven to be transformative.
Providing one hot meal daily to school children, the programme has not only alleviated hunger but significantly improved educational outcomes.
Mr Josias Mungombe Zibeni, the headmaster at Bunsiwa Primary School in Binga confirms how the programme has benefited students.
He said, “The feeding programme is going quite well. It has brought some positive impact in terms of school attendance. This term alone, I think I have received about 10 to 12 new students that were transferred from local schools to come and join here. In terms of class participation, it has improved. We are achieving almost 99 percent to 100 percent attendance, unless the child is not feeling well. So the programme is bringing some relief, especially on us teachers, to teach, to have these daily lessons with full classes.
“We have a complementary enrolment of 240. So we wish and I believe if the programme continues, we’ll reach somewhere around 300, especially when the school is completed. The school is under construction. The government is doing us a great favour. They are building a state of the art school and so far they’ve said it will be completed by year end. We are also trying to resuscitate the projects so that at least we supplement what the United Nations is giving us. They always ask the teachers, when are we going to the food line. So the morale is high.”
The school feeding programme is not only about providing food but addressing malnutrition and promoting nutrition education.
Binga District Hospital Food Services supervisor, Mr Cowen Mucheki said, “We are actually trying to capacitate most schools in terms of nutrition by providing technical know-how, how to actually manage mostly young children, young infants at early childhood development level in terms of nutrition by identifying the signs and symptoms of malnutrition. Then after identifying them, we are capacitating them on how best they can alleviate such a situation. We have got this feeding programme which is going on in schools where we are saying let’s provide one hot meal per day per child to increase class participation. We are also encouraging schools to have nutrition gardens so that they can have a variety of food to feed the children.”
In his State of the Nation Address this Wednesday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa reaffirmed government’s commitment towards ensuring children receive proper nutrition.
He said, “Regrettably, the El Nino-induced drought constrained our growth across all economic sectors, particularly the agriculture sector. However, under the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme, communities requiring food assistance in rural areas are receiving grain, while vulnerable households in urban areas are benefitting through the Cash-for-Cereals Programme. Of particular note is the school feeding component which has been designed to avail at least one decent meal per day for all learners in communities hard hit by the drought. Be assured that no Zimbabwean will go without food.”
As government continues to devise strategies to address these challenges, the programme’s growth is expected to come with significant benefits, building on the already notable progress made in reducing stunting and wasting among children under the age of five.
