Hungry to learn

In Muyinga, Burundi, food insecurity and extreme hunger were driving students to drop out of school, a decision that would almost certainly keep them trapped in the cycle of poverty for years to come.

“It was really hard to concentrate on revising lessons while you didn’t eat,” Emelyne, a student at Cazigo Basic School, says. “When I did not have lunch at school, I was likely not to get it once back home. And I feel I could have dropped out.”

The district’s rising school drop-out rate was a wake-up call for the community to act. Everyone acknowledged that without nutritious food to fuel them for the day, the students had no energy to learn at school or at home.  

But with limited opportunities for parents to earn a steady income in their community, feeding their own children was a daily challenge. 

How was the community going to feed 1,500 students across 22 schools?  

A massive team effort

In 2019, the Home-grown School Feeding Project was launched in partnership between World Vision, the World Food Programme (WFP), Muyinga’s school sector and the students’ parents to tackle the school drop-out rate by feeding the students one hot meal every day. 

Like a relay race, everyone involved has different, but equally important roles to run this project across the finish line. It starts with quality ingredients provided by the WFP. Once the barrels of maize flour, oil, fish, beans and salt are handed over, World Vision steps in and delivers them to the schools for the next leg of the race.

“We have gardens of vegetables,” says the school’s headmaster Emile Ndirikirikesha. “We play our part by providing onions and cassava leaves. And we do this so that school children consume nutritious foods.”

The final push is made by the parents who cook a well-balanced meal for the children to eat before dismissal. It may seem like a lot of work, but with one less worry on their plates, parents appreciate how this program gives them more time for other priorities at home.

“I have three children in this school that benefit from this school canteen,” explains Muana-Idi. “As they have lunch at school, it enables me to vacate to my farm’s activities with no worries and that makes us appreciate this support so much.”

To this day, the school administers have continued the momentum of this effective school feeding program. Not only has the program been successful at reducing the drop-out rate—it’s achieved better results than anyone imagined.

When everyone wins

As a result of this initiative:

1. There have been no student dropouts
2. School enrolments have increased
3. Student health has improved
4. AND families have more food at home

With the promise of a free lunch every day, former students are returning to school. “Thanks to this school canteen, school enrolment has increased,” says Headmaster Ndirikiriesha. 

“When dropouts get reduced among school children, their learning and performances improve,” says Provincial Education Director Blaise Pascal Masago. He also notes that the program benefits the entire family, not just students. 

“As less quantities of food are used during the day, families can have food in their homes for more days.”

Now that students have their bellies full of nutritious food every day, their brains can focus on learning instead of their gnawing hunger. 

Emelyne probably speaks for most, if not all, of the students about the positive impact the Home-grown School Feeding Project has had on her life. 

“As we have lunches at school, I feel at ease while learning,” says Emelyne. “I take my lunch here at school and this makes me feel encouraged to go on with my studies.”

This story is just one example of how World Vision partners with communities to develop lasting solutions addressing education and hunger.

Explore our Latest Stories to learn more about our mission to help girls and boys all over the globe escape the cycle of poverty.