School feeding initiative raises Sh2m

Dr Margaret Makelo the wife to Bungoma County Governor Ken Lusaka. She is planning to set up a ujimix flour factory to help nursery schoolgoing children be fed porridge to reduce cases of malnutrition and encourage the reading culture. (PHOTO: TITUS OTEBA/STANDARD)

More than Sh2 million has been raised to help provide porridge to needy nursery school children in the county.

The effort, dubbed Skip a Lunch Initiative, targets to raise Sh7.5 million for the construction of a posho mill. The project seeks to fight against malnutrition among children and to provide sanitary towels to school girls.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has contributed Sh1 million towards the initiative that is being spearheaded by Margaret Makelo, the wife of Governor Kenneth Lusaka.

Ms Makelo has appealed to residents to contribute as little as Sh10 towards the initiative, which she said is not funded by the county government but wellwishers.

Speaking during the launch of the initiative at St Chrispin's ACK Church, Dr Makelo said the plant will help in ensuring nursery children are fed with nutritious porridge that will help them remain healthy and attract many more to school.

"Education is the key, and we can only attract children to school when we feed them properly, this will help reduce malnutrition among them and encourage a reading culture," she said.

The governor's wife said she was going to ensure that every nursery child takes porridge every morning in a bid to ensure they stay in school within the stipulated time.

She noted that 2,858 girls in primary schools have benefited from reusable sanitary pads while 673 mothers benefited from Mama pads in health centres after giving birth.