If you are reading this you probably had a childhood where you went to school with a lunchbox crammed shut against a bulging sandwich, or even had a cafeteria where you had the option of buying a slice of pizza or maybe a chocolate bar and a cola from a vending machine. If you went to boarding school you had a tray of peanut butter and syrup or apricot jam sandwiches provided by the school at the very least, even if you found yourself turning your nose up against this yukky mid-morning fare. Food was never really a concern for us, not until we learned that we were growing up completely oblivious to the fact that there were children out there who maybe got this kind of 'food' as their only meal for the whole day. And then we realised, perhaps, that having two or maybe three hot meals a day actually made us lucky in the greater scheme of things, especially in the more affluent countries where, if a mother does not put a meat dish on the table every day, it is generally perceived that something is seriously wrong with the family's finances.
Do you remember ever going hungry? Can you remember a day where you went without food? Consider the idea that many of the children growing up in the informal settlements of South Africa (and in countless other developing nations) do not know what hunger is because this is their everyday reality: can you imagine that you would be able to concentrate on your school work, listen attentively and have the strength to think, analyse, calculate or compose if your brain was not powered properly? Do you think you would even have the will to imagine, to turn yourself on, to access the more creative and ambitious side of yourself if your very basic needs were not being met? Some might argue that hunger can often drive an individual to strive for something greater. But for a primary school child between the age of 5 and 13 this is completely unrealistic. When your body is growing and your brain is taking in information, learning about yourself, your world and your environment, you really need to have a happy, full belly to fuel that growth.
Here in Chintsa we recognised that before we can even begin to address issues such as social transformation, education, and health and sanitation, we had to face the hunger crisis. None of our projects were going to be successful if we could not first see to the basic needs of the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community. So one of our biggest drives so far has been to find funding for our Feeding Scheme - an initiative that aims to give children at Chintsa East Primary School a hot, nutritious lunch every school day.
With the funds we receive we are able to run a kitchen at the school, employ a full time cook and purchase the foods that are needed to cook properly balanced meals. The most successful means of raising funds for and spreading awareness of this endeavour has been the Fortnight Fast, in which a participant gets sponsorship from friends and family to test themselves in an experience of what it is like to go without hot food for two weeks.
The support we have received thus far has been staggering. From the bottom of our hearts we thank you, Friends, for your incredible effort in helping us face the challenge of providing this important link between a child's ability to process her education, and her impoverished growing-up environment.Read more about The Friends of Chintsa Feeding Scheme here, and LIKE us on Facebook for inspiring updates on what can be accomplished by a community spirit!
Please contact Friends of Chintsa at admin@friendsofchintsa.org for more on how you can make a contribution to this cause!
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