Feed 300 poor children in urban Mombasa

We at Mustard Seed Project (MSP) are lucky that so far we have had enough support to enable us to continue our feeding program, morning porridge on arrival at school and a well balanced midday meal, for all of our children - so a very big thank you to all of our supporters. Very high food inflation in Kenya means however that more and more of our income has to be spent on our feeding program. It also means that more families are struggling and need more support from MSP. We support the very poorest with basic maize meal and beans during school holidays, without which some would be very close indeed to starvation. The number needing this support is increasing. Our cooks are very hard working and do a wonderful job, and as I have said in a previous report, also cater for the few children who have special dietary requirements, but even the most basic ingredients have increased way beyond what we may have expected in the past and prices are still rising. Our cooks themselves were finding it very difficult  to feed their own families and MSP has had to increase pay. However, because of the balanced diet we have been able to provide, our children are much healthier than they would otherwise have been. On my visit to Kenya in 2022 I saw the children throughout the school day from the three year olds in nursery to the fourteen year olds preparing for the very important KPCE examination, the exam that determines future prospects and a possible escape from poverty. I saw children working very hard in classrooms, saw great enthusiasm in football games, saw children running around energeticelly at break times and of course queuing up eagerly at lunchtime. There are empty plates, no waste! The older children sit at their tables in classrooms for their meal, the youngest sit on the floor, as many do at home. I spent a lot of time with the younger children as i was sorting out resources for play and early learning.and saw how much they enjoyed their meal. 

Please continue to support us, or if you are new to us we would be most grateful for your support.  All of us at Mustard Seed, UK Trustees, Kenyan Trustees, teachers, support staff are working to change lives and give our children opportunities they may otherwise never have had. Our feeding program helps to keep them healthy and able to take full advantage of the good education we provide. We want it to continue despite the rapidly increasing costs so thank you if you already support us, you are making a real difference to a new generation and their families.