Primary School Lunch Programs
Daily school lunches for students at the Makuyuni and Embukoi Primary Schools
IMPACT
MAKAYUNI PROJECT HISTORY
HOP has supported the Makuyuni Primary School since 2016 when Dean first sat down with the headmaster to ask what they struggled with most. He found out that their greatest need wasn’t textbooks, and it wasn’t more teachers. It was simply food. Kids were missing school because they didn’t have enough to eat. Those who did attend were often unfocused and lethargic from hunger.
HOP purchased cooking supplies and food to feed the school children lunch every day for the school year. We also hired two full-time cooks to prepare the lunches every day. School attendance at the beginning of this program wavered at around 700 students and now feeds approximately 1200 kids daily. Teachers also continue to notice a substantial improvement in student test scores.
Our success in this program inspired us to start a second program at the Embukoi Primary School. We have seen the same upward trend in attendance and achievement since the enaction of our second lunch program and are eager to expand the project to the scale of Makuyuni.
EMBUKOI PROJECT HISTORY
Our Embukoi School Lunch Program began in September of 2022 following the tremendous success of our first program– the Makuyuni School Lunch Program which we have been running for two years. The growth of this program has made us eager to implement the same infrastructure as our Makuyuni School Lunch Program. We hope to install the same rainwater collection and repurposing handwashing stations, a storage building for a year’s supply of food, and a designated pavilion with tables and chairs for eating and gathering. Serving as one of the limited hot meals the students have a day, the continued support and commitment from the Human Outreach Project is critical to promoting the well-being of thousands of children every time they go to school. As an outcome of this continued stewardship, we have found the number of school children to rise– as we saw with Makuyuni. This leaves us hopeful and excited for our continued growth into the future.
Upcoming Plans
We plan to replicate the infrastructure of our Makuyuni School Lunch Program at our Embukoi site. Providing hot, fresh meals in a safe and clean environment is extremely important to HOP. Providing a place for our students to receive a meal has continued to increase school attendance and test scores– proving the lasting benefit these programs have on these young students.
How Can I Help?
Makuyuni and Embukoi Primary Schools are not far from the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Visiting the schools can be easily added to your Tanzanian itinerary.
The Makuyuni and Embukoi Primary School Lunch Programs continue to enable children to attend school, by accommodating basic hunger. It’s been a privilege watching more and more students become engaged with education throughout the years we’ve been operating the programs.
- $30,000 per year (per program) goes towards feeding thousands of children while at school, improving their overall health and education
