New School Meals Programme Feeds 5,000 Children in Lusaka

An event was held this week to celebrate the launch of the Hunger-Free World School Feeding Programme in Lusaka. This marks the initiative’s first entry into Africa.

Meals are already being served at John Laing Primary School, with expansions to Mambilima and Chingwele Primary Schools planned for the near future. In total, the programme will provide school lunches free-of-charge to approximately 5,000 Zambian school pupils.

The Hunger-Free World School Feeding Programme is coordinated by Malabar Group, and Indian diamond company, representatives of which attended the event. It is testament to Zambia’s attractiveness as an investment destination that it was chosen to pilot the expansion of the scheme into the African continent.

Expressing gratitude to Malabar at the launch event, Permanent Secretary at the Department of Education, Wisdom Bwalya, said “your support goes beyond feeding our learners, it is an investment in the next generation of leaders, innovators, and a nation of builders. This is what we call Ubuntu – humanity”.

Ensuring that all school pupils are well fed is a vital aspect of building a comprehensive public education system, a clear policy priority of President Hichilema’s New Dawn administration, which expanded the Education For All Policy to include early childhood and secondary schooling in 2021.

Liaising with international partners to help achieve these goals reflects an innovative approach, especially in an era in which development aid can no longer by relied upon. Clearly, strengthening the education sector remains near the top of this government’s agenda.