Empower girls in Niger for change via education

We are proud to announce that our 60 girl scholarship holders have recently enjoyed the benefits of another exciting new program ! Something brand new has been added to their school routine at Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey!

Since November 2016, we put the “Food for Thought” program into place for our scholarship students thanks to generous donors and the girls are joyous! They are now getting a delicious free lunch which not only nourishes their bodies and helps them get through the school day, but this newly implemented food treat also nourishes their minds and thought process and helps them be more motivated and sharp in their school studies. Hopefully, this nourishment will help underserved girls whose parents cannot afford paying for school meals, to have more energy and be able to complete their schooling in middle and high school. Our goal is to improve their well-being and vitality, to keep them in school and to avoid early drop out from lack of proper nourishment.

The food is prepared by a local market lady according to specifications set by the program leaders in our non profit organisation in Paris and by the Home Economics teacher at Hampaté Bâ School in Niamey. The surprising news is that the girls themselves have also taken a very active role and intense interest in the composition of their meals and on their initiative, certain dishes have been added or removed from the menu. They have acquired not only an appetite for their lunch meal, but also an appetite for learning about the foods and their nutritional value.

The girls love their lunch! And for good reason! A different meal is served every school day and this variety is something the girls do not usually get at home. Therefore, in addition to loving the taste of foods that they don’t have the occasion to eat often in their families, they also have the opportunity to learn about the composition and importance of a healthy meal. Thanks to different activities with their home economics teacher, the girls understand that having a balanced diet is an important part of keeping a healthy body and mind, and they pass on this information to their families at home.

The activities our girls prefer most are: “What is my lunch made of ?” and “What goes into my favorite dish at home ?” Thanks to their newly gained knowledge, the girl students even try to come up with a week’s menu and their teacher makes sure that the suggested meals are balanced and that no food groups are missing. This activity leads to very interesting discussions and learning.

The new lunch meal allows the girls to learn about foods that protect (fruit and vegetables), foods that build (proteins such as meat and eggs), and foods that give energy (carbohydrates).

“I now know that carrots and okra protect, millet gives energy, and peanuts and black-eyed peas build my bones and muscles,” says a very cheerful Maimouna.

“Eating a balanced diet protects me from becoming sick or malnourished. My mother is breastfeeding and I teach her about eating good food. Sometimes she has too much salt and at school we have learnt that too much salt and sugar is not a good thing,” adds Barkissa.

Our work is inspired by the girls of Niger who are striving to improve their lives and the lives of their families and communities by pursuing education and seeking guidance. But we cannot carry out this work without you generous donations. This food program is costly but must continue every year to be effective and we need you to do this! We humbly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for continuing your contributions so we can keep feeding these girls’ bodies and minds.