Feed 300 poor children in urban Mombasa

When our two Founding Trustees set up the Mustard Seed Project (MSP) with the aim of providing a good education for very poor children in Mombasa  they very quickly realised that hungry children are less likely to learn. I first went to Kenya in the early days of the project when the school had five classes of young children in a rented building. Even in those early days there was a feeding programme so all children had porridge on arrival and a balanced midday meal. For some of those children it was the only food they would have that day. Many years later on my most recent visit we had our own purpose- built school with a well equipped kitchen and three cooks who provide a nutritious meal every day for almost three hundred children and the staff. Having worked in schools in the UK for many years I saw a lot of food waste at lunch time. The only food waste I saw in Kenya was banana skins, which the local goats helped themselves to through the fencing.

Food inflation has been very high in Kenya for several years with drought being one of several causes. As always it is the poorest people who struggle the most to pay for food. Some of our families have been very close to starvation. Because our Founding Trustees visited the project so regularly, usually twice a year for a month each time (and Rita continues to do so), they noticed that some of the children looked less well-nourished after the long school holidays, particularly after Christmas and Summer which are longer than the UK. From then on MSP has provided basic beans and maize meal for our very poorest families during school holidays. Sometimes it is to get them over a crisis and sometimes it is longer term help. Kenyans are proud people who value education and want to be able to provide for their families, but some of our parents have wept with relief at the offer of such help.

Because the Kenyan government has made major changes to the education system we have had to jump through a lot of hoops to be in line with the new policies. Some of these have been very costly. Our greatest expense has been buying land for sport, agriculture and of course play. It is an urban area and land prices are high. We were lucky to find three plots very close to our school which would fulfil the government requirements. Initially we rented the land but the owner was very keen to sell and we were afraid that we would lose our playground. We managed to buy one plot and then another but still rent the third. Unfortunately, it has left us with very limited funding, so much so that for the first time for several years we were unable to provide maize meal and beans for our poorest families last Christmas. This decision was a necessity but was still a very difficult thing to do.

Please help us not to have to repeat that during the Easter Holidays. During the Little by Little campaign from 17^th – 20^th March, all donations up to $50 will be matched by 50%, while funds remain. Every pound, every dollar, every penny helps and none of it is wasted. Thank you so much to all of you who have helped us in the past. You really do make a difference to people's lives. If you are new to us please join us because you can make a difference too.

Healthy children have better learning outcomes. It has always been our aim at the Mustard Seed Project (MSP) to ensure that all the children in our school of over 300 have porridge on arrival and a balanced midday meal. Our feeding programme is integral to the success of the school and Nursery. We have excellent teaching staff and good resources with maximum class numbers of 30, unlike many schools in Kenya. Our national exam results are good. It is the adequate diet which helps our children learn well. However food inflation in Kenya has risen very quickly in recent years, partly because of world markets, partly because of severe drought, therefore costs to MSP have risen too. Additionally the Kenyan Government has recently revised the whole of the education system and curriculum which has involved us in a lot of costs, minor ones such as replacing how doors open to major ones such as equipping a laboratory, employing graduate teachers, buying land for sports facilities, play and for agriculture which is now part of the curriculum. Buying land has been very costly for MSP as our school is in a urban area of Mombasa and the price of land is high. We are worried about the knock on effect this may have on our feeding programme. Our families are poor, so much so that some would be very close to starvation without our help. In the past we have provided basic maize meal and beans to the very poorest during the school holidays. There have been parents who have wept with gratitude. For many it is a hand to mouth existence where the main aim of every day is to provide enough food to feed the family. Summer and Christmas holidays are long and for the first time this Christmas we may not have the resources to provide this extra help these very poor families need. The people in our community value education highly, it provides a chance to escape from poverty. Jobs are scarce and many try to make ends meet by running small businesses but it only takes the smallest blip such as illness (healthcare can be very costly, no NHS) to put life in jeopardy. 

Our feeding programme is such an important part of our school and is very important to our community. Those who are able to do so pay a small amount towards costs and are glad to make a contribution for their child/children. They are proud people and it gives them a feeling of ownership, but there are some who cannot afford even the smallest contribution. We desperately need your help at this time, more so than for many years, because of all our extra costs. For those of you who already contribute thank you so much, every penny is put to good use. Thankyou for reading this and if you feel you can help please do, the smallest amount makes a difference. Maize meal and beans for the holidays may sound very little but it means a great deal.