Breakfast for Kindergarten schoolgirls in Pakistan

Since we updated you back in April, there has been a prolonged lull in the form of school closures, stretched over the course of the last few months. Regardless of this, the invaluable impact of our Breakfast Program has not waned, as seen in the active participation of our government teachers.

In the past three months, students were busy with exam preparation at their homes with online classes and subsequently gave their examinations. Schools have yet to start in person, however when the new school year will begin in person, their will be an incoming batch of kindergarten students – providing us an opportunity to provide physical and mental nourishment to new students with our Breakfast Program.

To decide the menu for the Breakfast Program, there are certain food staples which are alternated and cooked differently to keep students interested. These include milk, fruits, yoghurt and eggs. This is often accompanied by fun dishes like channa chaat and mashed potatoes.

“Students graduating out of the class are so concerned whether or not they will still be able to have breakfast at school, it is such an important aspect of their time in class!” – Uzma

Uzma is a Kindergarten teacher at SMB Fatimah Jinnah Government Girls School which operates under the management of Zindagi Trust. Uzma has been an avid contributor in making the Breakfast Program a success at the school. Her love for her work as a teacher for the junior classes is very evident as she mentions her work. As young students often need more guidance and attention, Uzma finds that all her time is spent with her students, whether she is teaching or sitting and having her lunch. More than anything she enjoys the ability to find her inner child while interacting with the students.

The Breakfast Program is very important to Uzma. Seeing the students come with empty stomachs she felt it was a huge necessity that proper nutrition was made available to them. She works very attentively to ensure that all the students receive a healthy dose of their breakfast meal every morning and often takes the initiative to compensate any student who is unable to bring their lunch from home. “I look out for students who cannot bring their own lunch, they feel so bad that other students have theirs so I go and get some for them.”

Since the online classes it has been very tough for Uzma to connect with students but she tries her best, often asking them what meals they have had for breakfast. As the new academic year has started and a new batch of students have joined Uzma, students are often hesitant to share with her. She tries to prompt them by telling them her meals and they seem more comfortable in opening up. According to Uzma some students tend to eat halwa/puri which is not a very nutritious meal and others do not have a morning meal. Uzma is eagerly awaiting that students will return to school so that she will be able to see them in person and help facilitate their healthy eating behaviors through the Breakfast Program.

Our last update for you in December featured our caretaking staff which works tirelessly to provide delicious and nutritious meals to our students. Since then, the schools reopened in January and the students from both schools, once again arrived to receive their breakfast meals. During the cold weather in the beginning of this quarter, students continued to receive the same menu as the last quarter however, as the weather changed in these months, our breakfast menu was modified to befit the warmer spring season.

The menu included milk with boiled eggs, porridge, mashed potatoes and bananas. Students attended school in staggered slots of 50% attendance, with one group of students arriving on one day and the second group on the next day. This protocol required that students remain in their classroom for their meals, as opposed to sitting together in our Breakfast Room, which took longer to serve them the meals, but was similar to the COVID 19 safety protocols followed last year.

April, unfortunately, saw the closures of schools once again due to the third COVID 19 wave, at this time, here’s what parents had to say about the impact of the Breakfast Program and school on their lives and their children. Waseem, the father of Afsara – a KG 2 student enrolled at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School said “We feel very secure and satisfied by the Program. It makes my daughter so happy that when she comes home, she makes us happy.” He added that the school was providing an important platform for the two of his daughters that are enrolled there and he is hoping that his third can also go there as she enjoys biking and activities like sports which are promoted at the school.

“It’s a relief and comfort to me that my daughter gets breakfast at school.” says Nisa, the mother of Wahiba, another student from KG 2 at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School. She adds that when Wahiba comes home, she tells her mother what she eats in school in the Breakfast Program and asks that she may make it for her at home. Zaib Un Nisa said that she makes it a point to go to school and ask how the breakfast meals are made, so that she can replicate them for her daughter at home as well.

Students miss school and long to once again wake up eagerly, bursting with energy to look forward to the rest of the day. The parents are also looking forward to a healthy return to schools for their children, so that their daughters can continue to thrive in the ever nurturing environment in the school, which is achieved in part through the Breakfast Program.