The Digital Watch Feeding Schools in Kenya
They wear it everywhere, some put it in the pocket, others hide it inside the school bags. Its has become another essential item to school, the digital watch loaded with lunch money. It presence assure learners of a hot lunch at school and every parent must ensure it is safe, well kept before their child leave for school.
In mitigating negative impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences in learning, county governments in Kenya have rolled out a school feeding program known as Dishi na County. Dishi is a slang word (sheng) used in Kenya meaning food or eat food. Dishi na county simply means Food by the County or Eat with the County. It was began by the current Governor of Nairobi, His Excellency Johnson Arthur Sakaja. So far 6 other counties have rolled out the program. The county government has collaborated with Food for Education organization.
Food for Education Organization collaborates with the county government and assist the process by transporting food from the designated kitchens to schools on time, they have special vans; and also production of food with balanced nutrition to fight malnutrition in school going children.
There are designated Kitchens with qualified cooks, loaders and servers. Each kitchen serves schools in a given cluster (district). A kitchen would cover between 6 - 8 schools, with a target of 12,000 learners per day. To ensure food is transported hygienically and arrives in school in the right temperature, Food for Education organization provides special trucks for the process.
How does it Work?
The digital watch is loaded with money. Each meal per day is Ksh 5 which totals to an equivalent of $2 per month per learner. Parents have a money loading code. The sum loaded doesn't have to be necessarily a months cost, parents have the freedom of loading the available amount on their hands. Each digital watch costs Ksh 120, an equivalent of $1. Digital watches cannot be shared , each learner is required to have one.
Tap to Eat
During Lunch, learners queue to tap before being served. There is an official from the feeding program who helps with the tapping. To hasten the process, there are 2 queues, one for boys and another for girls. Serving is quite fast and the portions are sufficient. Pre-schooler's are served first, then Primary; post primary learners end the process.
How the School Feeding program is promoting Learners mental health in Schools in Kenya
Kenya is a growing economy and poverty, which is a category of childhood adversity is rampant. According to World Bank Study, majority of Kenyans live below a dollar per day. Poverty is inter connected with parental absenteeism. Most parent in lowest economic class, are small, micro income earners. These are majority parent who their children are in public schools. In Kenya education is a right for every child, public education is owned by the National government. Failure to take a child to school as a guardian or parent can earn a jail term. Since introduction of Free Primary School Education by late President Mwai Kibaki, there has been huge enrollment in public primary schools.
Most parents spend a lot of time in their small businesses or menial jobs to make ends meet and provide basic needs to their children. This causes parental absenteeism. It cannot be ruled out there are learners who leave for schools without seeing their parent and come back to find them still not available because they're working in their small businesses. School feeding program disrupts impact of poverty and parental absenteeism in learning by providing meals to this learners, who'd be left hungry if the program didn't exist. Food is an important aspect in learning as well as healthy development of a child.
The school feeding program has improved learner -leaner relationships; they share the meal happily while seated in groups. Since the portions are enough for two, those who come to school without food or their money has exhausted will sit together and share with their friends. Healthy relationships are built where there is trust among them which support their mental health.
Learners who come from home where meals are not a guarantee, pack and carry food to eat later or share with their siblings back at home. The program is also supporting families by disrupting impact of poverty which is one of many causes of family dysfunctions.
Learners who are in school half day (pre-schoolers -grade 3) eat before leaving school. This support the families because the parent is assured that their child has eaten at school and wont have to leave their work to go feed them at home. They have the confidence to tend to their businesses which has seen increased income.
This simple survey was conducted by TISK to find out if school feeding programs disrupt Impact of Adverse Childhood Adversity; Poverty and Parental Absenteeism in learning in Kenyan schools; The information was obtained by walking in different schools, interviewing school heads, learners and officials working in the school feeding program.
It was satisfying to find out that, despite the hardships and presence of childhood adversities- poverty and parental absenteeism in learning in Kenya, when there is collaboration between community initiatives and schools, leaner's mental health can be supported.
Trauma Informed Schools Kenya is a non-profit org registered in Kenya-East Africa with an aim of helping schools achieve mental health through Trauma Informed Practices in Education.
Would you like to support our work?
Click on the link below
Thank You,
Founder/ED
Becky Ndung'u
Comments (2)