Providing an Essential Need
Children at the Miazia 23 school in Addis Ababa came to school hungry every day, preventing them from focusing on their studies. During a school visit, Wide Horizons For Children social workers were asked by the school principal: Could we help feed these children?
In July 2014, Wide Horizons For Children answered the principal’s call and the Education Through Wellness School Nutrition program began. Each day, 40 children were given a nutritious school lunch—their primary source of food for the day. There was often no other food for them at home.
Growing to Meet the Demand
In 2015, the program grew, doubling in size to serve 80 children and expanding the services offered. In addition to lunch, children began receiving breakfast, de-worming medication to promote better nutritional absorption, and food rations during school vacations and summers to ensure they would have a reliable source of food when school was out.
Today, more than 150 children receive a filling school lunch to help them learn. The program also provides employment for six women from the Wide Horizons For Children Child Sponsorship program, who purchase and prepare the food for the children while earning an income to support their own families.
