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Mubvuyiwa Tichafa Youth Interactive Correspondent

Over 100 000 learners from about 126 schools have benefited from the ongoing school feeding programme conducted by Mary’s Meals International.

The beneficiaries are from Harare (Epworth, Mabvuku and Tafara) and Mashonaland East Provinces (Goromonzi and Murewa).

With the support from Mary’s Meals International, Mavambo Orphan Care (MOC) (PVO6/2005) a local non-governmental organisation which implements the programme, started community feeding in July 2020 during the COVID-19 induced lockdown.

Mary’s Meals International is a charity organisation founded by two brothers in 2002, Magnus and McFarlane Barrow in Scotland. 

Since the programme’s inception in Zimbabwe, it has grown for the betterment with now reaching and targeting 12,748 students from eight schools.

The programme ensures that each child receives corn-soya blend (porridge) meal in their place of education during school days.

Meals being served in schools have been defined by the organisation’s chief nutritional officer, Mr Danny Gomwe, as, “little acts of love”.

Stepping at Manjonjo Primary School one of the schools under the feeding programme in Murewa, a jovial and electric atmosphere could be felt as each learner wore a memorable smile.

However, for other non-feeding schools all this could simply be separated by a thin line of hunger and poverty. This has been worsened by effects of climate change, fall of business enterprises due to the global pandemic Covid-19 induced restrictions, and but not limited to under average harvests for subsistence farmers in the provinces.

For schools that receive the meals, excitement and zeal to learn have been rekindled for third term by the ‘blue cup of hope’ served daily at the schools.

Children learning in rural schools face a myriad of challenges rangingfrom social, economic, geographical and health which impinge success of these children in school.

This has been a story for the two brilliant girls at Pote Primary School, Masciline (13) and Ressy (12).  Where they live, they faced shortages of food, However, the biggest challenge is that of the distance they walk as colleagues to come to school.

On several occasions, after school Masciline and Ressy got tired and slept by the roadside, which eventually result in them arriving at home late in the evening.

“I recall when we were going home, we would sit under a huge guava tree and gather fruits when guavas were in season. Due to exhaustion, we could fall asleep under the tree, this became a norm that we could not pass that area without having to sit or sleep as it was our resting point,” said Masciline

“This continued for some time and  as a result we could abscond from going to school spend the whole day playing under the tree’,” Ressy added.

With the inception of the school feeding programme, active participation in class, improved attendance, performance, and progression rates have been recorded at schools. 

“I have no reason to abscond from school, I can now go to school happy knowing that I will receive a hot meal at school which sustains my energy levels till I get back home,” Ressy chuckled.

Speaking while monitoring some of the feeding sites in Murehwa, Mashonaland East Provincial Education Director (PED), Mrs Anatoria Ncube hailed the programme as it is covering hardshipscaused by pandemics and climate change.

“I was humbled and thrilled as I witnessed the noble social protection mechanism in the form of school feeding in the province.

“Witnessing children enjoy their corn-soya blend meal at their place of learning enshrines that the vision and mission of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe will be achieved,” said Mrs Ncube.

In Murehwa district, when the programme started it had 17 706 learners but due to the low hanging fruit that lures children to like school, there are now 18 439 learners from the 28 primary schools.

“Reports from the districts indicate that in schools where there is a feeding programme, the quality of learning has improved owing to an increase in attendance and attention of learners,” added Mrs Ncube.

The programme is in sync with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) as it seeks to reduce extreme poverty and improve access to basic social services for vulnerable groups.

“Education is the gateway to human capital development, with these partnerships at play Vision 2030 will be realised,” Mrs A Ncube concluded.

Since its inception, MOC has strived to offer holistic education support including feeding the most disadvantaged children and the coming in of Mary’s Meals International has solidified the comprehensive package for school going children.