Santorini Mozambique Footprints -Chigamane School

A Year in Reflection

As always, we stayed the course through 2025, focusing our social responsibility initiatives on nutrition, education, environmental stewardship, and community resilience.

What follows is a condensed reflection of the collective efforts of our guests, staff, partners, and local volunteers over the past year. Each initiative represents not just action, but relationships built, trust earned, and small, meaningful steps taken together.

Chigamane School – School Meals Project

The School Feeding Programme remained the cornerstone of Santorini Footprints in 2025, providing 90,000 meals to learners at Chigamane School. By offering daily nutritional support, the programme continued to improve school attendance, concentration, and overall educational outcomes.

The school year began on 4 February, with porridge distribution commencing on 21 February . Once underway, the programme ran smoothly for the remainder of the year, achieving zero stock-outs — a small logistical victory that made a meaningful difference to the children who rely on these meals.

Food was prepared and stored on-site by dedicated parent volunteers whose quiet commitment remains the driving force behind the programme’s success. The meals proved particularly important during the cooler months and toward the end of the fishing season, when food security in many households traditionally declines.

During the year, 26 guests visited the school, strengthening transparency, connection, and long-term support for the project.

The School Access Kits Programme

Education begins with access, and the School Access Kits programme addresses one of the most common barriers faced by learners: a lack of basic school materials.

Since launching in 2022 with just eight kits, the initiative has grown into one of our most impactful and fastest-growing programmes. In 2025, 86 school kits were donated, with 29 distributed during the year and 57 strategically reserved for distribution at the start of the 2026 academic year, when they can support early enrolment and improved retention.

An additional three kits were donated through the GlobalGiving online platform. All distributions were conducted transparently, often in the presence of guardians, school leadership, and community partners. By mid-year, the school confirmed that the most vulnerable 10% of learners had received support through the programme.

In addition to the kits, 15.01 kg of classroom supplies were donated directly to support immediate learning needs.

Chigamane School Garden

The Chigamane School Garden continued to serve both as a nutritional supplement to the feeding programme and as a practical learning space for sustainability and nutrition education. The garden was revived through a modest 800 MZN seed donation. This support enabled the successful cultivation of lettuce and kale, with all produce harvested and consumed during school lunches.

The addition of fresh leafy greens improved dietary diversity, supporting both immune health and cognitive development among learners. The garden completed a full growing cycle, with its final harvest taking place in the last quarter of the year.

 Closing Reflections

The year reaffirmed the value of consistency, adaptability, and collaboration. While challenges remain — particularly around long-term food security — the foundation built through trust, transparency, and strong partnerships continues to grow.

Every child at Chigamane School received a nutritious bowl of porridge daily over the past few months—thanks to the support of our guests and the dedication of parent volunteers who prepare meals on-site. Guest donations towards this project totaled $1,096 in Q2 and $216 in Q3 of 2025. As the cooler season settled in, the porridge became even more essential, helping to meet the children's nutritional needs so they can focus and thrive in their studies.

In Quarter 3, 37 backpacks were donated through our School Access Kits program, which targets children most at risk of dropping out or being excluded from school.

 According to UNESCO data, only about 50% of Mozambican children complete primary school—a stark reminder of the importance of community-based initiatives like ours that support education through nutrition and access.

 The school garden is flourishing thanks to the recent rains at the start of the summer months. There's plenty of vibrant green lettuce already supplementing school meals. While the current harvest is promising, there is great potential to expand the variety of crops to further improve the children’s nutritional intake. We are exploring ways to support the planting of a wider range of vegetables to enhance the sustainability of this vital food source.

We’re especially pleased with the success of the kale harvest, as leafy greens play a vital role in cognitive development and immune health.

 We’re continuously inspired by the support from our guests, agents, and partners. Looking ahead, our goals include:

• Encouraging diverse crop planting in the school garden
• Strategic preparation for the 2026 academic year
• Further engaging our guests through meaningful on-the-ground experiences

 Together, we’re building not just memories for our guests—but futures for our local communities' children.