“The students do not eat any breakfast. Their parents cannot afford it; they are all small-scale farmers near here. This is a problem”
Mr Mkoni, Head of Mangamba Primary.
Mangamba is situated in the rural part of the Mtwara district and is one of the smallest Primary Schools in the area with around 247 children. Most of the families are subsistence farmers, living on around 60 pence per day.
Following our initial research we decided to support Mangamba School and held a Parent Teacher Meeting at the end of February. Over 100 people came to discuss the logistics of the Feeding Programme. All parents agreed that each family should try to contribute a small amount per month to the project. This is a nominal amount and we do not expect all families to be able to pay, however it is important for parents to feel part of the project.
Rob Ahearne (Project Manager) has been working closely with the school in the run up to the feeding. He has built strong working relationships with the teachers, villagers, millers and market sellers. In addition he is now able to converse with all parties in Swahili. This is a great achievement in such a short time, and essential to the efficacy of the project.
We have also employed Ally Masudi as part time local advisor. He has been helping us translate documents and ensures that the community surrounding the school also benefit from the School Feeding Programmes. Breakfast Club therefore uses only local produce, expertise and labour in order to support the local economy.
For example, by:
• Providing employment to 2 local women to cook the uji (porridge)
• Providing income for local farmers- 25 litres of milk per day
• Providing income to local millers – Breakfast Club pays for the milling of 100 kg of millet, rice and maize every other week
• Providing part time employment for a driver to deliver the food to the school