Support Sky Is The Limit school in Uganda

School Meals make an essential contribution to the well being of all the 390 children attending Sky Is The Limit school. Since 2014, when Ecologia started the school meals programme, our aim has been to improve the children’s ability to benefit from the education the school offers.

By providing school meals, children attend school daily even when they cannot afford food at home since they are assured that they will get food at school. Some children have to walk 12km to school every day, and the promise of a nutritious meal at school gets them there, and brings them back next day.

The nutritious meals provided to the children lead to a strong immune system that in turn reduces absenteeism which is largely a result of illness.

The balanced diet meals provided at Sky is the Limit school has increased the concentration levels of the pupils thus increasing their performance in studies, games, and sports.

• During the 2 years of Covid lock down most children didn’t have an opportunity for a balanced meal. This we noticed during the opening of the school year in 2022. With the nutritious meals served at Sky is the Limit school during 2022 / 2023, we have noticed a gain in weight and height in most children that were underweight after the covid lock down.
• School attendance has improved greatly.
• The children’s performance in studies, games and co-curricular activities has been a great success during 2022/2023. We have noticed a big improvement in all learning fields, for example Sky is the Limit school was the best in Games and Sports in the whole of Fort Portal City 2022 and second best in 2023. The students’ performance in Primary Leaving exams, (PLE) has also continued to improve. We strongly believe that it’s the result of the nutritious meals served at school that has boosted the children’s brain and physical performance.

 Most important: the children have continued to enjoy the meals served at school; evidenced by the joy seen on their faces during meal times.

 Challenges we face: The drastic increase in the food and fuel prices in Uganda has affected the school meals budget. For this reason, we have been unable to provide food supplements like milk and eggs to the children with a low immunity since we could no longer afford them given the high prices. In 2023 the Mama Rose Farm has begun to produce food, vegetables, fruits and even mushrooms to supplement the school meals and the children very much appreciate it.

 Lucy, age 7, weighed 17 kg and was 100 cm tall at the beginning of First term 2022. Her family can barely afford 7 meals a week. She showed severe signs of malnutrition and was never as active as her fellow classmates. By the end of third term 2022 she weighed 20 kg and was 115 cm tall. “I’m always looking forward to going to school because I know that there will be food for me and friends to play with.” Lucy weighs 22 kg today. She is happy and healthy, and her class performance has improved greatly. She will be joining Primary One next year.

 5 year old Pearl weighed 15 kg at the end of third term in 2022 compared to the 9 kg she weighed at the beginning of the first term.  We believe that her weight gain is a result of the school meals she gets. Today Pearl weighs 17 kg, she is happy and healthy, thanks to the school meals programme where she can get balanced meals. Pearl says “I love my teacher; she sits with me when I’m having lunch.”

 Before the Covid-19 lockdown, Jotham was an active 6-year old little boy who loved playing football. Unfortunately, his mother lost her job during the lockdown, which worsened the economic situation in the family that was already financially struggling. The family hardly had food throughout the 2 years of lockdown. Jotham lost weight and was constantly ill during the first term of 2022. However, his situation progressively improved as he continued attending school. He has attended school throughout first and second term 2023 without falling ill. “I’m glad to be back at school, I enjoy the sound of the lunch bell.”

 These are stories of just three of 390 children who benefit from going to school at Sky Is The Limit. Their teacher Anna M, the head of food and nutrition department at Sky Is The Limit school writes: “I’m so grateful for the school meals that are provided to children, many of the children have responded positively when it comes normal growth and development and also the concentration and performance levels have improved a lot. I have also heard positive comments from children like “I´m always looking forward to lunch time” or “The sound of the lunch bell is my best moment at school”.

What does Sky Is the Limit need to become sustainable?

1. The launch of Mama Rose organic farm is a big step towards sustainability of school meals at Sky is the limit school. We strongly believe that the farm will supply food to the school.
2. We plan to construct modern eco stoves and cooking equipment to reduce on the energy costs and environmental emissions.
3. Our biggest challenges today are paying teacher’s salaries, renovating teacher’s quarters, and the classrooms. Guardians to our pupils can hardly pay the small school fees the school asks to cover its costs. We intend to carry out sensitization programs informing the guardians the importance of education hoping that they will start sacrificing the little income they get towards school fees.
4. We believe that improving the teachers’ salaries and the building structures at the school premises will attract more children whose parents will be able to pay school fees that will in turn cover the costs of running the school.

We are so grateful for the support given to Sky Is The Limit by you, Ecologia Youth Trust’s donors and friends. Thank you!

** Names have been changed to protect the children. 

Links:

• Our work in Uganda