Some of you may recall that last year, we ran this Raise for Maize emergency fundraising campaign to raise money for food to sustain the students of Dwankhozi Community School during the community’s “Hungry Period.” Well, it’s time to do it again and together, we can do this! We have a jump on the season this time, but the urgency remains the same!
Click here to contribute.
In rural southern Africa, the Hungry Period (January-March) is when you are lucky to eat one meal a day. That one meal is Nshima, a thick paste cooked from Maize meal, with cooked down pumpkin leaves. It might not sound mouth-watering … but it fills them up … and they are grateful for it.
As subsistence farmers, this season is one that rural Africans have to endure every year. Their stored food is depleted as they wait for the rainy season to end and the March harvest to be ready. That means their children are coming to school hungry. Very hungry. It makes learning difficult. The school day has to be shortened during this period. The mango fruit season (the only breakfast option) has also just ended. They have absolutely no energy to learn.
But, again this year, as we did last year, we have an opportunity to help …
Women in the community are willing to make the students Nshima at Dwankhozi Community School. (Pictured, left) This is a community of people who care deeply about their school and want to help. So we have the built-in labor to make the food, students eager to learn and teachers always ready to teach … they just need us to help buy them some maize. When we’re able to provide this nutritious meal during the school day for the duration of this tough season, school attendance remains high and the students’ and teachers’ momentum for learning is sustained. It’s a matter of health and of hope.
$10 feeds 60 students for one day.
$100 feeds the entire school for one day.
They only need to be fed for 6 weeks (30 school days.)
That’s $3,000.
To keep 600 students learning.
Let’s do this. We did it last year in one week – and we know we can do it again!
Every penny we raise here will go towards the purchase of food for Dwankhozi Basic School.
Speak Your Mind