Parents with children in Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres in Nyamira have reason to be happy as their children are included in the school nutrition-boosting programme.
Around 50,000 children aged between three and eight listed in 402 learning centres across the county will receive a cup of fortified porridge each school day in a programme the County Government of Nyamira rolled out this week.
Governor Amos Nyaribo launched the programme by saying the special porridge is nutritionally balanced and contains various dietary components, including essential minerals and food substances, to boost children’s mental and physical wellness.
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“The move to provide the special beverage for the kids is an initiative informed by findings of baseline studies on household diet behaviours, which brought to the fore that most homes do not afford well-balanced diets. We are solving for this challenge,” Governor Nyaribo said.
The governor said the school feeding programme was an initiative to increase the enrolment levels in basic learning institutions and boost the nutritional well-being of the learners.
Nyaribo said enrolment at the county-run ECDE centres was low due to a lack of incentives for children and parents.
“Parents will be very content to send their kids to Government-run learning centres because they know that besides the educational gain, they will also be gaining nutritionally,” Nyaribo said.
County Education Board Chairman Dr Richard Okero noted that when kids are taken good care of nutritionally, they are bound to perform better academically.
“When kids are well nourished, they tend to grow well, their mental faculties are improved, and their performance is optimized,” Dr Okero said.
By Ongondi Nyakundi
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