It's Hard to Learn When You're Hungry!

This project has been going from strength to strength since the last report - we have had a lot of support for the lunch box fund and we are so grateful for this. Since taking over the role of Project Coordinator of PIZZ, I have seen the beneficial effect that school lunches are having on the students and the positive impact this has had on their lives. The provision of school lunches helps in two main areas:

1. Health - one guaranteed meal a day means that the students at PIZZ get the nutrition needed for good health. Many of the students aren’t guaranteed a meal when they get home, so it isn’t uncommon for them to depend on their school lunches as their only meal for the day. School lunches are integral to maintaining a healthy lifestyle to support the children’s growth and development.

2. Education – since introducing the school lunch programme, we have seen an increase in the number of students regularly attending PIZZ school. As attendance has improved, so too has academic performance. The increased time spent in school has meant that the children’s confidence has developed, and their grades have improved. This helps prevent school desertion and means more students will continue onwards into secondary and further education and/or vocational training, apprenticeships and work.

We are delighted to say that we have four volunteers going to PIZZ for the summer club this year. This means the children will still get their daily lunch through the holiday period. The volunteers will run activities through the summer holidays for the students and help out with various tasks around the school. We will provide updates on the holiday club in the next report. Thank you for your continued support of this project - it makes a huge difference to the lives of the students at PIZZ.

Having visited Pizz in early February, it was great to see the lunch box programme working well to provide food for the children. I spent time with the students whilst they had their meal and you could really see how much they appreciated the lunch and how much of an impact it was having on their lives. From talking to the students and teachers I discovered that offering free school lunches has helped keep children in school. This one guaranteed meal a day, is also helping to improve results as the students are now spending more time in school due to improved attendance.

I find it incredible to think that £1.25 can feed a child for a month in Zambia. When you are there, you can really see the impact that donations like yours have on the students.

I had the opportunity to visit the kitchen whilst I was there (see picture below), it was amazing to see how much cooking was done using such basic equipment. I hope that we can help develop the kitchen at Pizz in the future.

Having seen this project first hand, I believe that it is crucial we continue to send funds for lunches as it is helping so many children (550 now). I’d like to thank everyone who has already donated and hope we can continue working together to help the children at Pizz.