FEEDING PROGRAMME
Working towards food security at Muda school.
The feeding programme, 2015 - 2018
Since 2014 areas of Zimbabwe have suffered drought-induced food shortages. This was particularly severe around the Muda area, with many children attending the schools without having eaten, resulting in tiredness and poor concentration. Many of these children walk long distances to attend school and teachers were trying to help by sharing their own food with the pupils.
The Foundation set up a Feeding Programme early in 2016, providing a daily "porridge" (sadza) meal just for key stage 1 children. After hearing that the children were sharing this meal with their hungry siblings, we rapidly extended the programme to all primary school pupils. Currently this costs 16p a day per child and 350 children are fed. Community members prepare and distribute the meal.
Funding has been obtained through fundraising events, including sponsored walks followed by sadza tastings, held with our partner schools in Norfolk, and by sponsorship from supporters.
Currently we are fundraising to provide a more sustainable source of food for the Muda schools. For more information, see below.
The 'Dig Deep' Project: Towards sustainable food production at Muda school, 2017- present
In 2017 the Muda school asked the Foundation to help with a more sustainable feeding project involving vegetable and poultry production. The project which will be overseen by the community leaders and school administration team, includes:
- Linking the school to a local borehole and the provision of a water storage tank.
- The purchase of chicks for meat and hens for egg production.
- Purchasing feed and equipment for poultry and egg production.
The project will cost US $10,386.
Excess produce will be sold in the community farm shop and the proceeds will fund a vegetable garden for the school and the purchase of new livestock and feeds.
The Foundation will continue to fund the sadza feeding programme until the sustainable project yields sufficient produce for a meal for the pupils.
For more information about the water supply section of this project, please click here
If you would like to help, please contact us.
Norfolk Schools' Fundraising Event - Sadza Walk 2015
At 1.30 on Friday 26th June 2015, children from five Norfolk schools set off on a walk around their local environment, to raise money to kick-start the ‘Feeding Programme’. There was African music and the children were given the opportunity to dress in African colours. A representative from the Mudeka Foundation was at each school to start the walk. At the end of the walk the children were given the opportunity to taste Sadza (a traditional Zimbabwean "porridge" made of maize meal). An amazing £5000 was raised from the walks.
I have been really well received in the schools as I have visited to tell them about the walk. One little boy came to me at the end and said “I’ve got a tenna in me money box – I could bring that Miss”.
Elisabeth Louis, Education Officer.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THE CHILDREN AND STAFF WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED
The participating schools were: Barnham Broom Primary School, Trowse Primary School, Mattishall Primary School, North Elmham Primary School, Barford Primary School, Woodside Infant and Primary School, Hopton Primary School
