An estimated 1 billion people in developing countries live on less than $1 a day with 75% of these living in rural areas where the economy is based on agriculture. Families living in poverty often lack adequate food and an estimated 32% of children under 5 years of age in these countries are moderate to severely underweight, with 10% of these severely underweight. An estimated 39% of children in these countries suffer from moderate to severe stunting, a condition described as failure to grow to normal height caused by chronic under-nutrition during formative years of childhood.

We made a trip to Africa in November 1999 to assess food security needs. We visited schools in poor areas that had recently received a four month supply of food from the Christian Council of Tanzania for their feeding programs. School officials were concerned how the programs could be continued once they no longer receive donated food. For very poor children, we were told, their feeding program was the source of the one good meal children received in a day. Officials at the Hinkudi school in Maswa, Tanzania said they had 16 acres of land available and wanted to grow food for their feeding program, but they lacked resources for such an undertaking.

In this photo of the kitchen at the Hinkudi school, the cook is sitting on a rock. The white container holding the water supply for the kitchen is behind the cook. The black pot on rocks forming the stove used for cooking is on the left wall. Cooked food is in the black container in the left corner.

With so many children in developing countries around the world underweight and stunted the need for school feeding programs must be enormous.

Many schools in very poor areas are undoubtedly like the Hinkudi school. They lack funds to adequately support feeding programs, but with proper training and resources could grow some or possibly all the food needed.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED? As an example of what your organization might be able to do in "Helping School Children and Orphans Grow Food", please visit this next site to see how a number of Rotary Clubs have adopted this program.