Pele, Chalice’s Wa site director in Ghana, and other site staff were concerned about the number of children in their community who were underweight and malnourished. Not only did this affect their physical health and development, but it also caused students’ academic performance to suffer. When students cannot focus in class because of hunger and fatigue, they are likely to drop out.
To help children grow and stay healthy, the Wa site designed a feeding program for children aged 4-10 in two local schools. The programs serve daily meals to all the children every school day for a year, and the kindergarteners also get a serving of tom brown, a mix of cereals, and legumes. The children also eat at least two eggs per week.
“We are able to feed a large number of children in the sponsored schools with healthy breakfast every day because of the kind support of our sponsors,” says Pele.
“Since the program commenced, more than 250 students in two remote schools have been provided with a nutritious breakfast. Chalice has ensured that impoverished children in deprived rural schools …receive wholesome meals through our school feeding program.”
Dedicated volunteers and neighbourhood chefs create meals with locally sourced products, such as red and black beans, soya, maize, peanuts, brown rice, and milk.
As for attendance, the program is hitting the target square on. Thanks to our lunch buddies, the students “became regular attendees at school, and performed better academically due to increased alertness and focus in class.”
Their parents and teachers have been “overwhelmingly favourable”, says Pele, “with many mentioning changes in the kids’ behaviour, attendance, and focus.”
“Teachers and parents have conveyed appreciation for the wonderful changes they have seen in the kids,” Pele says.
Ladles and Love focuses on supporting the nutritional needs of our sponsor sites. Become a Lunch Buddy and build stronger, healthier communities. Help keep our sites filled with smiling faces, full stomachs, and focused students!
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