School-Feeding at the Riversands Primary School

The school is located near the townships of Diepsloot and Zevenfontein some 20 km northwest of Johannesburg. As a state facility it barely has the means to provide a reasonable degree of decent schooling. Most of the pupils are between 6 and 13 years of age. Due to profound deficits in their diet many considerably lag behind in their physical and intellectual behaviour. Besides, hungry stomachs do not pose a good basis for a successful education.

For many of the children the school represents a collecting station in order not to spend the whole day out in the streets. In a joint effort with Milly we established a feeding thrice a week on the school premises, so that now some 650 pupils are well taken care of. For many this is the only warm meal of the day and often the only reason for coming to school at all .

Milly is the driver behind the feeding events and - whenever time permits - she instructs jobless mothers from the townships in their proper preparation and transaction. In return these mothers are given clothes and food. Many local volunteers and European airline crews are among the regular helpers on the school's compound. Without their support in preparation of and during the feeding events, without Milly's talent for organisation and without regular donations of food by local supermarkets this project could not survive.

In parallel to the feeding Milly takes care of the worries and needs of the pupils and treats smaller injuries or deals with bugs. For the children this is an unknown yet beneficial experience to be taken seriously since at home they are exposed to indifference and resignation.

The school director supportsour initiative and is involved in the actual planning and feeding. Our approach drives at the utmost integration of the people concerned and their environment to be able to reach and teach  as many as possible. Even if the actual implementation sometimes proves difficult we find satisfaction by knowing that we can induce smiles on the children's faces and that we have filled some hungry stomachs.