Seeds for Life in Zambia

Next month sees the start of the rainy season in Zambia. After several months without of drop of rain the parched African terrain is desperate for water. The communities are praying for good rains as last year the rains were so poor that all the maize crops perished in the Southern Province region.

Good nutrition is essential for early growth, but when your family is so poor there is never enough food to go round, with some families surviving on just one meal per day. Maize is the staple diet of Zambian people, but unfortunately it is rain dependent. Consequently we are looking at alternative crops that need less water, such a millet. One school is pioneering the use of breadfruit, which is highly nutritious and needs little water. If this is successful we will offer it to other schools.

To date we have supported fourteen schools to have sustainable feeding programs. Our evaluation has proved that the pupils perform better and attend daily if there is food available. If they have to walk several miles on an empty stomach it is comforting to know that there will be food available school. The World Food Program is supposed to provide maize to make into a porridge for every school in Zambia. Sadly this is not always the case, far too often it is only provided for one of the three terms per year, and on some ocassions the food is rotten when it is delivered to the school.

In the 21st century no child should be hungry, and yet according to the World Food Program Organization there are 795 million hungry people, of which 75% are in the rural areas of Africa and Asia. Zambia is one of these countries and the reason why, in our own small way, we aim to help alleviate hunger in children.

Funds for seeds and fertilizers are needed for schools for this forthcoming growing season. We are very grateful for your support.

Links:

• Food Projects