Community Supported Lunch Program

Vital Stats

Lauren G

Wayland, MA

  • people helped200
  • People Doing It 8

The Problem

The Asiafo Amanfro Community School does not currently provide school lunches for students. Most students come to school on an empty stomach, as most families cannot afford to provide students breakfast and most do not have food to eat at lunchtime. However, parents are usually in the farms when children go to school so they do not have food throughout the day. The lack of food throughout the day prevents students from concentrating and focusing on lessons. No food throughout the day also hinders their development since they receive no nutrition throughout the day. Over fifty percent of students are in the 3 or 15 percentile in weight-to-age and height-to-age (World Health Organization growth charts). According to Mary L Gavin ( M.D), editor of Kids Health, “ Each day kids need to eat about .5 grams of protein for every pound they weigh” in order to facilitate adequate development. Therefore, the average six year old, at fifty pounds should be eating approximately 25 grams of protein a day. Children at the Asiafo Amanfo Community School have very little protein in their diets since they rarely get meat. The nearest market is 20 minutes by driving and meat is not a priority for families. Because of the farming culture, they generally eat what they grow which includes cassava, tomatoes, and corn. Plus they do not receive suitable protein from these vegetables.

Plan of Action

The Community Supported Lunch Program is designed to provide nutrition not only for the sake of learning but also for the sake of healthy living. The program is a part of the Akaa Project, a non-profit organization that helped build and establish the school three years ago. The program consists of community involvement as well as donations to ensure proper dietary needs are being met. The community will be able to partially provide for the new program because of the farmland of the area. The soils lend themselves, with proper cultivation, to yield many different types of vegetables including staple food crop, cassava. The school has been fortunate enough to acquire a plot of farmland enabling it to supply both cassava and vegetables for students. Families and community members will tend to the school’s plot of land while they also harvest their own crops. The community produces cassava, which makes gari, a popular signature food in Ghana. To make gari you need a grinder and presser. Pressing can be completed in local ways although it is time consuming, but the grinding machine is essential. The grinding machine would be purchased for the school, so that gari can be made for school lunches. Mothers and young women want a way to process gari to sell as well. Those who help make gari for school lunches can also use the grinder to produce gari and sell it at the market. This will allow families to have a new product to produce and sell and also help the school. The community is eager to provide for the students unfortunately this diet is not sufficient for students. Therefore, through donations with the Akaa Project will purchase protein at the market to account for this part of their diets. However, with the involvement of the community, the price for school lunches decreases dramatically.
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Physical and Mental Health
Healthy Living
Hunger
Global Health
Homelessness and Poverty

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