Child Feeding
Number of Children Impacted:
3,790 in 2024, including Mary’s Meals matching
Countries:
Kenya, India, Malawi, Liberia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar
How:
We run 2 feeding programmes in Kenya directly, and collaborate with trusted charities running school lunch programmes in various countries
1. Help Change Lives – Darajambili Primary School, Kisii, Kenya, 2024
EXCITEMENT AND JOY!! On 30 September 2024 we launched our second school feeding programme in Kenya, at a slum school in Kisii called Daraja Mbili Primary School with 895 students who are extremely vulnerable, many working or begging on the side.
The school is struggling with some students begging on the streets and dropping in for lessons, whilst others are on HIV medication that is isn’t working as they are not getting enough food. Many of the students work to get food for the family (see the news article here) and most don’t eat enough in the day. We even stepped in to buy 45 of the students school uniform as they were dressed in rags.
We are serving nutritious and filling vegan food – ugali ( cooked maize flour) and mung beans twice a week, ugali and greens twice a week and on the fifth day, maize and beans (githeri) and porridge. The students were so happy!! Some came to get food 4 times!
The daily cost of running this school lunch programme for 895 children at Daraja Mbili Primary School is £100, coming to 11.17 pence per child per day or £20 a year per child. All admin and head office costs are absorbed by the charity trustees.
We had already helped the primary school with reusable pad kits, returned with underwear due to the dire need, and helped sponsor some children into high school. The school was also delighted to share that this year there are no pregnancies due to transactional sex (sex in return for getting pads) due to our reusable pads distribution at this school earlier this year- how absolutely fantastic!
2. Help Change Lives – Luora Primary School, Homa Bay, Kenya, 2023 and 2024
In September 2023, we started a new school feeding programme in a very poor area of western Kenya, called Homa Bay. We are now feeding just under 700 children at Luora Primary School. The children are given ugali and beans twice a week, ugali and greens twice a week and porridge with githeri (maize and beans stew) once a week. The food is freshly cooked on site.
Our social worker, Maxwell, visited the programme to verify everything and meet the suppliers in October 2023. He was delighted with his findings. We are so happy to share the excitement with you.
The head-teacher shared the amazing impact and it is truly heart-warming- attendance is now 100%, performance has improved and happiness has multiplied. We also used the opportunity to donate 20 mattresses and blankets to poor students living far away who needed to sleep at the school during exam time.
We had already helped the primary school with reusable pad kits, returned with underwear due to the dire need, and helped sponsor some children into high school. The school was also delighted to share that this year there are no pregnancies due to transactional sex (sex in return for getting pads) due to our reusable pads distribution at this school earlier this year- how absolutely fantastic!
3. Sponsoring School Feeding in Africa though Mary’s Meals:
2020-2024
Mary’s Meals is a UK charity whose vision is that every child should receive one daily meal in their place of education. Vulnerable children are given a real chance to escape the vicious cycle of poverty as they are enabled to come to school and learn, rather than working, begging or staying idle.
It only costs £19.15 to feed a child for a school year (9.6 pence a meal). 93% of all donations to Mary’s Meals are spent on charitable activities and they have an army of volunteers. Our trustee, Pallvee Shah, is an ambassador for Mary’s Meals.
2024
We are feeding 413 children school lunch for a year at Phandadzinja school in Malawi.
We are feeding 643 children school lunch for a year at Nthongole Primary school in Zambia.
The Help Change Lives donation was matched by Mary’s Meals and another 1,056 children were fed!
2023
We fed 612 children school lunch for 7 months at Esther Yalartia Academy in Liberia (another sponsor stepped in after this time).
We fed 410 children school lunch for a year at Phandadzinja school in Malawi.
We fed 643 children school lunch for 4 months at Nthongole Primary school in Zambia.
2022
We fed 506 children school lunch for a year at Esther Yalartia Academy in Liberia
We fed 400 children school lunch for a year at Phandadzinja school in Malawi.
2021
We fed 374 children school lunch at Phandadzinja school in Malawi. It is a mixed primary school in Chikhwawa district, southern Malawi, with 189 girls and 185 boys.
The Help Change Lives donation was UK Aid Matched and another 374 children were fed in Liberia!
2020
We sponsored lunches for a school year for 192 vulnerable children in Madagascar for the year to September 2020.
4. Kenya Children Centres, School Feeding in Kenya: 2019 – 2024
This UK charity has a local partner in Kenya through which it runs excellent programmes. We support their feeding programme in Umoja, Thika, Kenya. The programme started by feeding children in the slum area. It has expanded and been moved to Umoja Primary School.
Help Change Lives now supports the feeding of porridge before school for 18 children and a hot githeri lunch for 77 children (more come for lunch). The children are weighed and measured twice each term to assess progress.
From the UK trustee of the charity: “These are the most vulnerable that cannot afford a daily meal and have other family issues. Thanks very much for supporting them. It is making a big impact.”
4. Shishukunj, sponsoring 20 children in India: 2022
Shishukunj is a UK charity dedicated to serving children. It has no UK admin costs as all the work is done by volunteers.
Our trustee, Pallvee Shah, is part of the Shishukunj International Projects (SIP) committee and has worked closely with them to develop their Sponsor a Child programme in relation to support that is already being provided at 9 centres in India and Kenya.
We are delighted to have sponsored 20 children living on the streets and slums of Bhuj, India for a year through them.
Their community outreach programme is fantastic. The staff are very dedicated and passionate about what they do. The difference they make is heart-warming.