Kids get a taste of the hardships in Africa

Wednesday 05 October 2016

Youngsters in Jersey are getting a taste of what it's like for children living in Africa today.

Around 600 primary schoolchildren here are being served up a bowl of porridge on what is World Porridge Day and learning how important the meal is for youngsters hit by the drought in the South of the country this year.

Rotary will be cooking up breakfast for children at Grand Vaux, Samarès, and St. Luke's primary schools on World Porridge Day and Rotarian Ruth Smith will be speaking to them in their Assemblies about the charity Mary's Meals who they are supporting and who feed more than a million of the world's hungriest children every day.

Ruth is a regular visitor to two schools in Kenya where they have a daily porridge programme. She said without it, the children simply wouldn't be able to learn because of the hunger pangs.

She said: “Thousands of school children go to school in Africa not having had any breakfast and possibly no food the evening before, that's why having a daily porridge programme like Mary's Meals is so vital to their well being and means they can concentrate better on their learning.”

It costs £12.20 to ensure a child in Africa has a meal every day of the year and this year Rotary want to raise enough to feed 800 youngsters.

The Founder of Mary's Meals has written to Rotary explaining the dire situation in Malawi.

In his letter Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow said: “I am writing to you from Malawi where, right now, a terrible situation is rapidly unfolding. Southern Africa is facing its worst food crisis in many years. A horrible combination of floods and drought has devastated crops, leaving millions on the brink of starvation. None of the people we've spoken to know for sure how they will survive the coming months...

“Even now, our work and your generosity allows children to set their sights on brighter futures.

“We are determined to continue feeding the 1,101,206 children who already depend on our school feeding programme – and we are desperate to, as funds allow, expand to reach even more.”