Breakfast for Kindergarten schoolgirls in Pakistan

With fall came good tidings and delight as students returned to their classrooms in September 2021. Students attended physical classes, interacted with their teachers, and eagerly resumed their learning as we witnessed the possible return to normal post-covid lockdowns.

Special programs like Art, Sports, and Music were also restored to their glory. Similarly, the breakfast program at Khatoon-e-Pakistan Government Girls School and SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Govt Girls School came back with the same vigour. There were a few modifications, with another grade added to the breakfast program and a new carefully planned menu for the winters, but our students remained their same excited selves who looked forward to the daily breakfast.

Beginning in September 2021, the breakfast program extended to cater the first graders of SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School. This means that kindergarten to grade II students at Khatoon-e-Pakistan Government Girls School, and kindergarten to grade I students at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School can now enjoy a nutritious meal daily before their school day begins. As a result of the breakfast program extension this year, both schools combined provide breakfast to 710 students every day.

ECE I teacher Ms. Ambreen and ECE II teacher Ms. Zakira informed that the type of food students most enjoy are vegetable based salan and paratha, which are two of the many varieties on our breakfast menu. The winter menu includes egg, milk, soup, palak anda, and roti. The hardworking kitchen staff takes joy in preparing fresh meals in a hygienic environment. Abida, a cook at SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School has been working here for eleven years and is adored by the students. She cooks and serves delicious meals for the students every day and often encourages them for second servings.

Teachers and the kitchen staff encourage students to thank god before they begin eating. They say a prayer as a community, gladly devour the breakfast, and make their way to their classes with full tummies. According to Ms. Zakira, some parents cannot afford healthy food for their children, so it helps them budget their expenses as their children are provided with an option at school. Even if parents can afford nutritious food, students often do not eat breakfast at home, and the breakfast program motivates them to start their day with a healthy meal. By watching their peers eat on the school campus under the supervision of the teachers, students are more likely to join and take part in the program. 

Our Breakfast Program has had a positive impact on students’ class attendance as well as their overall energy. Students look forward to having breakfast with their friends and learning about the nutritional value of the food on their plates. Therefore, the breakfast activity makes for an overall wholesome experience for the students. The food acts as a fuel for the day, the environment as a place to mingle with fellow peers, and the teacher supervision as a reminder of the importance of food.

Since we updated you back in April, there has been a prolonged lull in the form of school closures, stretched over the course of the last few months. Regardless of this, the invaluable impact of our Breakfast Program has not waned, as seen in the active participation of our government teachers.

In the past three months, students were busy with exam preparation at their homes with online classes and subsequently gave their examinations. Schools have yet to start in person, however when the new school year will begin in person, their will be an incoming batch of kindergarten students – providing us an opportunity to provide physical and mental nourishment to new students with our Breakfast Program.

To decide the menu for the Breakfast Program, there are certain food staples which are alternated and cooked differently to keep students interested. These include milk, fruits, yoghurt and eggs. This is often accompanied by fun dishes like channa chaat and mashed potatoes.

“Students graduating out of the class are so concerned whether or not they will still be able to have breakfast at school, it is such an important aspect of their time in class!” – Uzma

Uzma is a Kindergarten teacher at SMB Fatimah Jinnah Government Girls School which operates under the management of Zindagi Trust. Uzma has been an avid contributor in making the Breakfast Program a success at the school. Her love for her work as a teacher for the junior classes is very evident as she mentions her work. As young students often need more guidance and attention, Uzma finds that all her time is spent with her students, whether she is teaching or sitting and having her lunch. More than anything she enjoys the ability to find her inner child while interacting with the students.

The Breakfast Program is very important to Uzma. Seeing the students come with empty stomachs she felt it was a huge necessity that proper nutrition was made available to them. She works very attentively to ensure that all the students receive a healthy dose of their breakfast meal every morning and often takes the initiative to compensate any student who is unable to bring their lunch from home. “I look out for students who cannot bring their own lunch, they feel so bad that other students have theirs so I go and get some for them.”

Since the online classes it has been very tough for Uzma to connect with students but she tries her best, often asking them what meals they have had for breakfast. As the new academic year has started and a new batch of students have joined Uzma, students are often hesitant to share with her. She tries to prompt them by telling them her meals and they seem more comfortable in opening up. According to Uzma some students tend to eat halwa/puri which is not a very nutritious meal and others do not have a morning meal. Uzma is eagerly awaiting that students will return to school so that she will be able to see them in person and help facilitate their healthy eating behaviors through the Breakfast Program.