Motivating children to attend school in Zimbabwe

Following years of failed rainy seasons and drought, people in Zimbabwe have become accustomed to waiting for rain that rarely arrives. Last year, as national maize production was recorded to be at a historic low (around 60% lower than its 10-year average), the Zimbabwean government declared a national disaster. Climate shocks causing major issues for the country’s overall food production, compounded by economic instability, has left communities increasingly vulnerable to food insecurity and unable to afford many basic commodities.

As Mary’s Meals reaches a major milestone of providing school meals for more than 3 million children globally every school day, we hear from pupils and staff at two schools in Matabeleland North Province in western Zimbabwe on how a daily meal in a place of education is helping families to manage food insecurity and encouraging their children to go to school.

Improving health

At Gonye Primary School, Sitshengisiwe Ncube runs the school choir and has written a song with the children to celebrate our big news!

She says: “Some families find it very hard to find enough food because there is not enough proper work or even informal piece work. That’s the main reason so many people go to South Africa to find work. I’d say up to three-quarters of the children in this school have parents who are working away.

“Before Mary’s Meals came things were very difficult for the learners. By 9 am they would be saying: ‘I am hungry, there is no food at home’. Now, after Mary’s Meals came to our school, the learners listen better and understand more. After the children eat, they can learn and concentrate.”

The local community has shown great enthusiasm for the school feeding program and has worked tirelessly to make the serving of daily school meals possible, as village headman Sethi Khumalo explains:

“The community came together to build the kitchen so that school feeding could begin,” he says. “We have noticed a big difference in the children since school feeding started earlier this year. Their health is improving, they have more energy, and they are now able to enjoy their education.”

Increasing school enrolment

Another community that has been very glad of the school feeding program is the one local to Dromoland Primary School, where families rely on rain-fed crops for both food and a source of income. The catastrophic drought that ravaged the country during the 2023/2024 rainfall season resulted in no harvest from the last cropping season, pushing families further into hunger and food insecurity.

Sigaloknhle is a learner at Dromoland, where she receives Mary’s Meals each school day. She says that sometimes there is food at home, but other times she has to come to school without having eaten. The porridge she receives helps her to learn and do better at school, which makes her happy.

Deputy head teacher, Thandiwe Mpofu, explains that before school feeding was introduced at the school, learners were known to faint because of how hungry they were. With the introduction of a reliable, nutritious meal served at the school, there have been notable benefits, including an increase in enrolment and a reduction in absenteeism:

“In our area, most parents are communal farmers,” she says. “Since the drought in 2024, they have only managed a minimum harvest, and that means many are only having one meal a day. But even though some of the parents are also vulnerable to hunger, they fetch water and firewood and cook the porridge for the children.”

Mary’s Meals in Zimbabwe

Mary’s Meals has been supporting children in Zimbabwe since 2018. Supported by our two local partners – Mavambo Orphan Care and The Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP) – we are currently reaching more than 179,000 children in over 350 places of education with a much-needed daily meal.

It costs just $31.70 to provide a child with daily meals for an entire school year. Mary’s Meals is now reaching more than 3 million children with a nutritious daily meal in their place of education. While we celebrate this milestone, many millions of children still in desperate need around the world. With your support, we can reach many thousands more children waiting for our daily meals.