Who is African Children's Fund?
We are a small charity based in the UK and we work with partners in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe who help an amazing 5,000 children go to school, every single school day!
Why is going to school so difficult for some children?
A Head Teacher in Kenya told us what stopped children attending his school: a lack of food in the family meant children had to work, scavenge or beg on the streets during the day, or go to school hungry. We don't know about you, but we struggle to focus when we're just a little bit hungry!
He knew that if he could provide a healthy meal at school every day, families would make sure their children went to school, instead of working, scavenging or begging for food. A daily school meal would take away some of the money worries parents had too.
The Head Teacher needed to provide the children with food that wasn't too expensive, and that the school could buy locally. He decided on porridge! That's when the Kenyan Porridge Clubs programme began. Almost 20 years later, it is going from strength to strength and now, over 1,800 children in 13 primary schools receive a daily mug of healthy porridge.
Each mug of porridge costs just 9p so a £9 donation means 100 children can receive a mug of porridge at school tomorrow.
Wait... what do you mean by a MUG of porridge?
Kenyan porridge is called uji and instead of eating it with a spoon, children drink it from a mug. It is made from maize flour, added vitamins, a little sugar (when there is enough money) and water (or milk if the school has its own cow). As well as filling children's tummies, on cold days, it also warms them up.
Do Porridge Clubs really make a difference?
They really do! Porridge Clubs lead to lots of positive results that help children regularly attend school, and learn better when they are there.
When children go to school regularly, they create more opportunities for work when they become adults, which means they will be able to support their own children many years in the future.
We call this The Ripple Effect. It means changes that are made now have a long-lasting effect in the future. Imagine dropping a pebble into a puddle... as well as the initial splash, it will make ripples in the water for a little while afterwards. The more pebbles you drop, the more ripples you make!
What work does African Children's Fund do in other countries?
As well as the Porridge Clubs programme, we also have a special project to help teenage girls go to school in Kenya and Tanzania.
We also support a nursery school in Tanzania, a safe house for children who are lost or neglected in Uganda, and we work with a charity who pays school fees, buys uniforms and provides stationery to school children in Zimbabwe.
