Food Security Kenya Project #15468

Provide school lunch to 3900 hungry Kenyan kids

by UMOJA PARTNERSHIP, INC.

Provide school lunch to 3900 hungry Kenyan kids

Project Report | Dec 9, 2014
Putting a face on hunger: meet Victor and Milicent

By Ellen Daniels-Howell | Project Leader

Milicent and Victor at their grandmother's home

When Victor and Milicent's father died, the father's family took possession of the land on which the family had been living. With nowhere else to stay, Victor and Millicent's widowed mother and her six children moved into her mother's small mud home. Milicent sleeps on a mat in the main room of the house, while Victor sleeps in the kitchen. There is no water available at the home, so one of Milicent's responsibilities is to collect water from the river nearby.

Now Victor and Milicent's mother has been called away to care for an ailing great grandmother. The six children continue to stay with their grandmother, who struggles to provide for the six children. Often the lunch the children have at school is their only substantial food for the day.

In spite of these struggles, Victor and Milicent have dreams for their future just like children coming from more advantaged homes. Victor's favorite is science, and he dreams of being a doctor when he grows up. He loves football (American soccer) and Arsenal is his favorite team. Milicent enjoys social science and math, and would like to be a lawyer or doctor someday. She enjoys singing, and when she has the chance likes to read story books.

Victor and Millicent are typical of the students supported by Global Interfaith Partnership's school lunch program. They live in harsh circumstances, but are trying to make their way through school so that someday they and their family will have a better life. Your support makes their dream of a better future possible, and we thank you for your support!

Milicent, Class 8, Bar Anding'o Primary

Victor, Class 8, Bar Anding'o Primary

Links:

Global Interfaith Partnership

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Aug 20, 2014
The challenge of creating a sustainable school lunch program

By Ellen Daniels-Howell | Project Leader

children lined up for lunch of maize and beans

Without question, providing a school lunch to a Kenyan student is one of the most cost-effective ways to keep the young boys and girls served by the Global Interfaith Partnership doing well in school. For only $25 per school year, we are able to provide a nutritious noon meal for a student who otherwise might not eat much all day. Children's health improves; their school attendance improves; their academic performance improves. Teachers tell us that students who used to struggle to come to school each day are now attending regularly and performing at the top of their class. It is a remarkable thing!

Even as we feed over 3000 children in 18 primary schools daily, we know that there are still many hungry children in other area schools who do not benefit from our program. From the beginning, we have sought ways to encourage the schools to support a lunch program independently. Raising the necessary funds is almost impossible for schools with very limited resources in such a rural area, and serving very impoverished children.

Recently we built cow sheds in 3 of the primary schools, and a group of Indiana elementary students raised the money needed for 3 pregnant heifer. Our hope is that these cows will provide both the milk needed for cooking, as well as some income to support lunch program supplies like maize and beans. In addition, we want the students to learn about managing livestock, skills they can take home to their individual families. We are already seeing the benefits to these three schools, and hope this is the first step in helping them to have sustainable school lunch programs.

Through your support we have seen the impact the school lunch program has had upon the children. Our goal is to help a few of our partner schools be able to support the lunch independently so we can assist other schools in the area. We thank you for your generous response to the needs of these hungry, but very motivated, boys and girls!

the new cow sheds

cow with her new calf

Links:

Visit our website!

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May 22, 2014
Words of thanks from the students

By Ellen Daniels-Howell | Project Leader

Lunch time at Mawembe Kodero Primary School

While it is difficult to quantify the total impact of our school lunch program, we know the effects have been dramatic. Schools report a rise in attendance – in fact, hungry students travel long distances to attend the schools with whom we partner in order to have the one nutritious meal a day. Over time, students who eat the lunch are doing better in their studies, such that our students are now at the top of their classes academically. Over 120 of those students have now gone so far as to complete high school, and we are thrilled that 23 of our students have been admitted to university with government scholarships. These are accomplishments these young people never even dared to dream during their early childhood days when hunger threatened them to drop out of primary school.

Please take a moment to read a few words from the students themselves:

From Judith: “I would like to thank you very much, because you’ve saved many orphans who were in trouble about their lives. I would like to thank you more and more for the school lunch program. The reason I am saying that is some orphans live with their grandmothers and sometimes that grandmother doesn’t have any work and cannot give us food. Even if you go home for lunch you only get maize and water. I thank you for encouraging us to work hard to achieve something in our life. God bless you.”

From Winans: “I would like to thank you for providing us with lunch that has made the orphans who cannot afford food to have an easier time. And, in fact, one lunch has been as sweet as honey and I wish that the moment we have started taking it, it should not end. May you keep the pot boiling because I believe that there is a drop of greatness in every man. So if you go on helping us, we will really appreciate it.”

From a young girl named Bella: “When we heard the news about Umoja Project helping me, we were surprised and very, very happy. It was God’s answer to our prayers. I benefited from Umoja through sanitary towels and the school lunch program. I was able to eat more regularly. I want to make good use of the opportunity Umoja has given to me. Last term I was in position 3 out of 67. I hope to perform even better as I get ahead. I count myself blessed. Thank you.”

Your support makes a world of difference in the lives of these young students!

Links:

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