00:00It's cooking time in a kitchen in Kisumu Township, Kenya. Every grain, every spoonful is part of a quiet revolution, one aimed at ending hunger. These meals are prepared for school children. Each morning, a convoy sets off delivering hot, nutritious food to classrooms, hope on wheels.
00:21For many children, this is their first meal of the day. Parents contribute just 15 shillings to enroll their children in the feeding program.
00:32Before the program came in school, I used to use a lot of money in three children. But nowadays, I only use 45 shillings in a day for three children.
00:41It means one child will be fed for 15 shillings only. So it is cheap and it has given me time to save money for the children.
00:55I can also give balanced diet for my children. I save also money for other things.
01:00The initiative, called Food for Education, uses a simple technology known as TAP to eat. Children wear orange bracelets that can be loaded with money. With just a TAP, they receive their meal.
01:14Locally made, the system is affordable, user-friendly and effective.
01:18What drove the inception of this program is to ensure that no child goes to school and stays in a classroom hungry. It was basically to end classroom hunger. Because you find that when a child is in school, when a child is in a class and is hungry, the concentration is diminished.
01:38You find that they don't have the energy to even listen to the teacher. So the moment you just provide a meal, a boost of energy for them to see through the entire period of a classroom session, you find that the concentration is increased. You find that they have the energy to even participate in schools.
01:57And the program is already making a difference. It not only provides a hot, balanced meal, but also enables children to stay focused and engaged throughout the school day.
02:09Before Food for Education came, I used to carry food from home. And before even lunchtime could reach, the food could have been spoiled or could have been cold.
02:21And after Food for Education came, I could now study well and even my grades have improved.
02:29Thanks to the feeding program, students are more active and attentive in class, a change that school authorities are thrilled to see.
02:38They come to school because they are sure and they are 100% sure they are going to get food.
02:43You know, a child who is hungry cannot learn well. And maybe at home there was nothing. But he or she knows that mama paid food for me.
02:54For parents like Vivian, the impact goes beyond nutrition. The program helps keep girls in school and reduces the risk of teenage pregnancies, giving them a chance to shape their own futures.
03:05It has dropped school teenage pregnancy. Why teenage pregnancy? These bodaboda guys will cheat our girls and carry them, take them to the local eating joint and buy them some cheap food and give them.
03:24They will eat. Then later on, they will meet with the bodaboda guy and it will lead to sexual activities.
03:33From a pot of rice to a plate in a child's hand, this is more than just a feeding program. It's a movement, one that shows how a full stomach can fill a classroom with hope.
03:45Thank you very much for having a service to your husband.
03:49Thank you again, gentlemen.
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