It’s twelve noon and time for lunch. In the school playground, the pupils line up quietly with their plates in hand. Meal times are always a calm affair. Once served, each pupil sits at a table and enjoys their meal amongst friends in the shade of the trees. This peaceful time during the school day has been made possible thanks to the school canteen project supported by Humanium and implemented by the Les Enfants du Soleil foundation (Children of the Sun).
Education, training, access to accommodation and of course, canteens, are all projects led by our partners across Madagascar. A glance at the statistics is all that is needed to understand the extent of the pupils’ needs.
Rice is the staple food in Madagascar. The sites managed by Les Enfants du Soleil need 180 tonnes of rice each year.
In 2012, the association provided 1,683 meals every lunchtime in 7 different canteens, 5 of which were in Tuléar, the town where the project began. 1,300 meals are served every day in Tuléar alone. Humanium finances the Amika canteen, which provides meals for 255 children.
Malnutrition and lack of food affects the children of Madagascar very badly – especially in the south, in Tuléar, where the climate is particularly dry. Drought and locust infestations are frequent. The school canteen offers a simple and effective solution to these problems – and also encourages parents to put their children through education.
The fight against malnutrition and the need for education go hand in hand: whilst in education, children can benefit from a school dinner and, since they are better fed, they study more effectively. With the school canteen helping education and the fight against malnutrition, the world’s an oyster for these Madagascan children.
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