School
Emakhabeni Primary School established its vegetable garden two years ago. Photo supplied

Emakhabeleni Primary School, in Kranskop KZN, has been using their food garden to supplement the meals made for the children every morning.

 

KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (02 November 2020) – Nothing is more disturbing than having a learner in class who can’t concentrate because he or she is hungry, says Nkanyiso Zondi, principal of Emakhabeleni Primary School, in Kranskop in the uMzinyathi District, northern KwaZulu-Natal

The school has 129 learners from Grade R to Grade 7. They get a different meal every day from Monday to Friday. They are fed at 10 am, because they arrive tired and hungry, says Zondi. “These learners endure a lot of hardships, including long distances they have to travel to school.”

“With our school being in a rural area, most of our learners live with their grandparents while their parents are in the city working or looking for jobs … You find that the food they get at school is their only meal for the day,” he says.

“Most parents cannot afford school uniforms, which becomes a problem especially in winter because learners don’t have jerseys but we ask them to wear what they have to keep warm,” says Zondi.

“Sometimes they come to school without having breakfast. I know how difficult it is to concentrate in class when you are hungry. That is why we make sure that they all eat and that the food supplied to us is healthy and balanced,” says Zandile Ngcobo, who oversees food preparations.

On Monday, it is amasi, a mixture of phuthu and sour milk with a fruit as a side; on Tuesdays, samp and beans with carrots as a side; on Wednesday, rice and soya with either spinach or boiled cabbage as a side; on Thursday, phuthu and beans with butternut as a side; and on Friday, rice and canned fish with tomatoes or cabbage.

“The food we get is enough for all the learners and I make sure that they all eat … We don’t have enough plates for all the 129 learners,” says Ngcobo.

“The lady who prepares the food ensures that all Covid-19 regulations are adhered to. We ensure that all our vegetables are washed and that we have enough food before she starts cooking,” she says.

She says because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the school has one class that rotates. “However, learners still come to collect their food and it is their right to do so,” says Ngcobo.

Ingredients are supplied by the National School Nutrition Programme (NSNP) and supplemented with spinach and cabbage from the school garden, established two years ago.

According to the Department of Education 175,034 learners at 359 primary schools, two special needs schools and 122 high schools benefit from the NSNP programme in Umzinyathi district learners.


Sources: GroundUp
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens or share your good news with us by clicking here
Click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast, with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes that there’s good news all around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll hopefully leave you feeling a little more proudly South African. 

About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *