As the world commemorated International Day of the Girl Child on 11th October under the theme “Girls vision for the future,” the hunger problem in Malawi remains a great obstacle to girl’s nutrition status further hindering their chances to attaining a bright future.
The school meals programme has been touted as one of the investments with proven long time benefits especially in overcoming school dropouts in many parts of the country.
According to a Mary Meals report, in 2022, only 1.1 million were accessing school meals and it showed good results of reduced drop outs and increased performance.
Violet Phiri a form four student at Nkhoma Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), stressed how hard it is for those girls coming from a family of school dropouts to go far with education hence appealed to well-wishers to assist them further their education.
The girl, who aspires to be a surgeon when she grows up, cited lack of learning materials as one challenge preventing them from actualising their dreams especially if they come from families which cannot support them financially.
She narrated a story of a friend who was not given food before going to school prompting her to get married, encountered more problems in the marriage but was encouraged to go back to studies because of the school meals initiative.
Phiri spoke highly of the programme which she said has really helped them to be in school and be active in classes.
“For the meals as you already know, a hungry person is an angry person and if one is angry cannot be able to do something or even give the studies more effort. So if one has eaten and is also energetic, one can be able to do studies with all the efforts and be able to understand everything and at the end having good results”.
She bemoaned the tendency by some parents who force the girls into early marriages stressing that they should be given the power to make their own decisions.
The form four student indicated that for those who lack the capacity to raise school fees and are sent back, the time that that the child is at home while parents are mobilizing funds, is wasted while their peers are learning.
“For the parents to mobilise the money for the school fees, that time one is home your friends are attending classes; it will be impossible for one to catch up with the friends after two weeks you’re at home this will have a negative impact.”
Another form four student at Nkhoma CDSS, Naomi Ritchimani pointed out that it’s even harder for those children raised by a single parent to keep them in school.
“They cannot be able to support their family financially, so these parents should also be empowered so that they can also help in supporting their children. Maybe they have the heart to support their children but they are failing.
“The children also want to go to school especially the girls. So these parents should be helped economically maybe empowering them in entrepreneurship maybe in businesses so that they are able to help their children go to school”.
