Home Grown School Meals Initiative Reduces Malnutrition, Dropouts in Malawi Primary Schools

Malawi: The Home Grown School Meals initiative in Malawi is helping to reduce school dropouts and malnutrition among primary school students, writes Martha Chirwa.

The presence of food, provided as breakfast before classes begin, encourages students to attend school regularly.

Charles Muyanika, who oversees the school meals program in Chikwawa primary schools, stated that "the introduction of the homegrown initiative in schools is not only improving the nutrition status of learners but also reducing the number of dropouts."

However, Muyanika also noted that the rising prices of goods in the market can be a challenge.

The Home Grown initiative provides students with a breakfast that includes four groups of food prepared in one pot, including vegetables, groundnut flour, rice, and water.

To reduce expenses, the initiative promotes the presence of vegetable gardens at schools, which can be maintained by the students.

The program is currently being implemented in 69 out of 182 primary schools in Chikwawa, such as Nkudzi, Mfera, and Mapelera.

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