Najma in Tanzania

Meet Najma, a student at Boga Primary school, where she is also a prefect. She makes sure students arrive with water and watering cans in her role. She also helps clean the school and teaches others to clean their own spaces.

Because of the heat in her village, farming is difficult. Crops are stunted or die, and sometimes they harvest very little compared to the work they put into the land. Along with difficulty in the community, the school does not have enough property to cultivate to produce food for the children attending classes.

"I have a hard time studying with my friends because we come from poor families. It is hard to get new textbooks, and we have to wear home sweaters when it is cold because we do not have school sweaters. Occasionally, my friend must eat at our home because she cannot go home during lunchtime. After all, they live very far from our school. We share a small meal that helps us stay in class for at least more hours."?

Since her village in Tanzania is poor and has few resources because farming is so difficult, Najma and her family deeply appreciate the meal program at school that lets her eat nutritiously every day.

Thanks to donors and partners, Najma's community is provided hope and helped residents work together to reach a common goal and provide a better school environment for kids.

"If not for these school meal programs, many parents would not know how to be responsible for their children's wellbeing," her mother says. "We have been working together with teachers to find a better way to feed our children.