Food for Education 

A child cannot learn on an empty stomach

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Need

In most public schools in Tanzania, meals are not provided. It is an additional expense most cannot afford. Numerous studies have shown that nutritional status directly affects the mental capacity among school-aged children. A child’s learning ability is intrinsically linked to their nutritional status. We hope that if parents know their child will receive food at school then they will send the child to school instead of having them work the fields, earning less than $0.20 USD per day.

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Intervention

In mid-February 2020, SJNEFFL approached one such school, Mizimbini School, in Kigamboni through a local NGO, TAFFED (Tanzania Food for Education) with a proposal to provide uji (local porridge) five days a week.

Impact

Before the intervention, the school had 1078 students enrolled. Since then, there has been a 17% increase in the number of students enrolled in the school. There has also been an increase in attendance in comparison to initial figures.

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It is our belief that the children’s educational level will improve allowing them to access formal sectors of work as they grow, giving them a better future.