As Uganda grapples with teachers’ industrial action and prepares to launch a national school feeding program, International Development Institute (IDI) Uganda has delivered food to over 13,000 pupils across 16 supported primary schools, helping attract learners back to class.
The supplies, distributed under the IDI Uganda School Feeding Program in partnership with Agroways Uganda, included 57,950kg of posho, 27,000kg of beans, and 660 litres of cooking oil.
Christine Okalang, IDI country manager, emphasized the importance of mid-day meals not only for attracting learners to school but also as a basic right.
“We are here to fight both spiritual and physical hunger through our child-focused community transformation program, which builds the capacity of parents to manage their children’s education, health, nutrition, and livelihood, wrapped up in spiritual growth,” Okalang said.
Okalang added that IDI Uganda’s support leaves a lasting legacy, creating conducive learning environments and enhancing the quality of education in the region.
Kamuli District Education Officer Joseph Waibi said many schools struggle to provide meals due to poor harvests and financial constraints, making the IDI-supported schools fortunate.
“IDI Uganda has worked on retooling teachers, school management, and PTA members, improving sanitation and menstrual hygiene management, and introducing school feeding gardening projects to sustain the program in a participatory manner,” Waibi said.
Stella Lubuga, headteacher of Bukusu Primary School and IDI Uganda-supported schools’ academic coordinator, noted that the lunch supply spurred a sudden return of pupils in the second week of the program.
“Mid-day meals play a pivotal role in curbing absenteeism and boosting retention. We are confident we are teaching children who are not hungry and frustrated. We are working with parents to sustain this initiative and remain indebted to IDI Uganda for this sacrifice,” Lubuga said.
The program highlights the crucial role of school feeding in ensuring learning continuity and improving educational outcomes amid ongoing challenges in the education sector.
