Learning opportunities for children in our community have come to a standstill as a result of COVID-19. Along with this, daily school feeding programs have been halted too. Our project increases children's access to learning opportunities with the aim to improve their social-emotional development. We deliver educational resources AND food parcels to families (over 800 children in Mtwalume area) to ensure that poor nutrition does not eclipse learning-at-home activities we supply.
The COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in a decrease in income for our community. Many are without jobs and there are now more mouths to feed as children are at home all day and relatives, who usually work in the city, have returned without additional funds to contribute. The families under one roof have swelled and income has shrunk. In addition schools and After-school/Early Learning programs have closed which means children's learning and development have been put on hold completely.
Thanda will provide over 800 children with 14 storybooks each to keep forever! We'll continue to develop, print & deliver our Learning at Home curriculum (which is being developed for this specific purpose) to their homes with LEGO & other materials such as crayons & notebooks in order to continue to build Literacy, Numeracy, Critical Thinking Skills & resilience in our community. We will purchase and deliver food parcels for these families to ensure good nutrition for optimal learning.
As the only non-profit organization supporting this underserved area, we reach 1000 children and youth, as well as 400 farmers daily. Education is a basic human right and we will continue to provide learning resources and food parcels to ensure the children's development is not neglected during COVID-19. We look forward to these measures bearing fruits for the community in the years to come since mental stimulation and learning in the early years is critical in order to thrive into the future.
