A Warm Meal: How School Feeding is Changing Lives in Magoye

The drought in Zambia’s Magoye Area Program in Mazabuka District made life very hard for many families. Crops failed, and food became scarce. Children struggled to stay in school because they were hungry. Many couldn’t focus in class, and some even stayed home because there was no food at home.

A Struggle for Food

Lutando, an 11-year-old pupil, remembers how hard it was. “Some days, I would feel too weak to listen to my teacher,” she says. “I even missed school because we had no food at home.” 

Parents also suffered. “We had no harvest,” says Jane Mwila, a mother of four. “We had nothing to feed our children. It broke my heart to see them crying from hunger.”

A Helping Hand

To help children, World Vision Zambia introduced the School Feeding Program. Every morning, children get a warm, nutritious porridge filled with vitamins and energy to help them learn. The program works with local schools, communities, and the government to make sure no child goes hungry.

“This porridge is more than just food,” says Peter Zulu, a teacher in Magoye. “Since the program started, children have been more focused in class, and they attend school regularly.”

For parents like Jane, the program is a huge relief. “Knowing my child will get food at school helps me,” she says. “I don’t have to worry as much about what to feed them.”

The Power of a Meal

The School Feeding Program has done more than just fill empty stomachs. It helps children stay in school, do better in their studies, and even strengthens the community. 

“When children are healthy and well-fed, they can learn and dream bigger,” says Joseph Banda, a food handler trained by World Vision. “It brings me joy to see them happy each morning.”

World Vision Zambia is working to bring this program to more children in areas affected by drought, so they can grow and learn without the worry of hunger.

A Hopeful Future

For many families in Magoye, the School Feeding Program is more than just a meal, it’s a chance at a better future. 

“I used to worry about having food tomorrow,” says Lutando with a smile. “But now, I know I can come to school and learn without being hungry.”

With simple yet powerful solutions like school feeding, hope is being brought back, one bowl of porridge at a time.