Schools in Kenya provide lunch because it helps reduce absenteeism and improves learning ability. Students at Southern Cross Academy in Maai Mahiu only have access to one meal per day as 42% of the Kenya population live below poverty line. Poverty is closely related with starvation.
Last year, we planted crops in a small empty field next to the school, using vegetables that require very little maintenance or water to grow. It is however, not enough to feed the 250+ children enrolled here, whose meals consist of bean and maize. It is prepared by a mother of one of the "baby class" students (kindergarten), who spends her day in a tiny stone room and cooks over an open fire. Lunchtime truly is the most exciting part of day for the kids.
Children line up, eager to enjoy their only meal of the day. The older girls (4th-5th graders) are responsible for forming orderly lines, distributing the plates to the younger peers, washing and cleaning using water collected in three large black barrels from the rain or long journey in the mountains, a difficult endeavor per Enrique (one of our volunteers). Rainwater picks up many pollutants and contaminants in the air before it hits the ground, making it unhealthy to consume. When there is no rain, there is no water. When there is no water, lives are at risk.
Spotted: A hug ☺️
The woman wearing the pink apron is Ian's mother, who prepares the children's food during school days. She must transport heavy, enormous bags of beans and maize by lifting and carrying them to the school. Resources are limited, and depend on funding to ensure the children's survival.
Enrique consoles Ian, who had a stomachache that day. They were a close bunch. (I've never seen this little guy wear shoes)
The woman dressed in black serving the children is one of the teachers at the school, whom I believe is in her early 20s. Children can identify fruits from their studies, but never tasted them.
Spotted: 4-year-old Ian is to the right, who enjoys supervising operations and on a separate note, is not afraid to stand up for himself.