28 schools from the semi-arid areas of Buuri Constituency are set to benefit from relief food donation worth Ksh 4.8 million courtesy of the Meru County Government in partnership with the Food for the Hungry programme.
Meru County Covernor, Kawira Mwangaza, said the food donations will be distributed to 28 schools with beneficiaries being children from the ECDE to Junior Secondary School levels.
She said the relief food is meant to ensure that children remain in school and do not drop out due to biting hunger pangs noting schools in the semi-arid areas of Ruiri Rwarera and Kibirichia wards in Buuri East sub-county will benefit.
“The donation of rice, cooking oil and beans will make a huge difference in the lives of learners by easing the sting of hunger and thereby promoting learning within the county. The learners will opt to stay in schools to continue with their studies instead of dropping out,” said the governor.
In the recent past, many children have been skipping school due to lack of food and in the process, negatively affecting their studies but once pupils resume school from holiday, they will have nothing to keep them away from school.
Food for the Hungry area supervisor, Francis Kiruja, said they will start a research in a bid to bring on board other affected schools in the area noting more pupils need the relief food in order to stay in school.
Buuri Constituency is one of the hardest hit part by drought in Meru County with little or no rainfall in some parts with many residents being pastoralists.
The Governor is now urging other well-wishers to intervene by assisting financially or with food donations before crops mature for harvest.
She said that her administration is working tirelessly to put school feeding programmes in place in order to ensure all children of school going age remain in school.
By John Majau
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