At the end of 2020 we welcomed in the new year with hopes that school feeding would resume at partner primary schools in Malawi. Alas it was not to be and just last month we once again distributed over 60,000 kgs of food in ‘take-home’ packs to thousands of children who would normally receive a hot meal at school.

Hope Springs Eternal
As we come to the end of 2021 once again we are filled with hope- this time for good reason! Our team in Malawi have just come through two years of turmoil as schools opened & closed while throughout school feeding in-school remained off limits. While we were humbled by the support we received and were grateful to be in a position to provide take-home rations to all Seibo children we were also aware of the limitations of take-home rations. While intended for children these rations were often shared by entire families struggling to put food on the table. We were also aware that by not attending classes children were potentially losing out on future opportunities. As such the news just in that we can expect to begin school feeding again at primary schools from the start of next year is to be welcomed with open arms.

An Official Announcement
The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Health have informed Seibo in Malawi that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Pandemic has approved the resumption of in-school prepared meals to learners in Primary Schools. Needless to say we are all absolutely thrilled but aware that new challenges remain as school kitchens have been dormant for almost two years and the volunteer army on whose help we relied upon to deliver a daily meal will need to be recruited once more. The decision to resume in-school feeding acknowledges the shortcomings in providing Take-Home Rations. In their correspondence the Ministry acknowledged that not only did school feeding partners incur additional (unforeseen) costs but the direct benefit to learners in terms of educational outcomes was difficult to discern. As such the Ministry of Health has directed that take-home rations should be stopped to be replaced by in-school feeding

The Next Steps
In line with the announcement Seibo were also issued with guidelines to adhere to in line with COVID-19 preventive controls. The guidelines include social distancing of 1-metre, mask-wearing by both volunteers and students, the use of hand sanitisers and the preparation of contingency plans in the event of sudden school closures. It’s a challenge but a necessary next step and we thank our donors and supporters for allowing us to continue our work for the last two year in adverse circumstances. We can’t guarantee the bumpy journey is coming to an end and we ask for your continued support at this time of hope. Thank you!