JOHANNESBURG SOUTH – Learners need to focus on learning and not on hunger, that’s what Al-Imdaad Foundation is advocating in all schools, especially primary schools.
Every school day, the foundation goes to schools and serves porridge that is formulated by food technologists, dieticians and nutritional experts to give the learners the necessary nutriment. One of the schools they went to on Wednesday October 15 was Crown Reef Primary School in Mayfair.
Project administrator in Gauteng Mohamed Chodree said though they are the disaster relief organisation; they are involved in several other projects, including ‘Make Breakfast Possible’. This is a project funded by volunteers and businessmen in the community.
“We are operational on 65 countries in the world. In South Africa we have five regional offices; one in Joburg South, Ormonde. Many schools’ feeding schemes serve breakfast during the first recess, which is about two hours into the school day. With us, we accommodate the learners before the assembly bell and it makes it easier for learners to get a nutritional start to their day,” explained Mr Chodree.
The school’s principal, Mrs Saphia Latiff, welcomed the generous gesture from Al-Imdaad Foundation. She said, “Early breakfast is good for our learners, it made them settle well in class. Every morning at 07:00 sharp we serve breakfast, thanks to Al-Imdaad Foundation. This puts a smile on the faces of our learners, some even took three bowls. We encourage other organisations to follow suit.”
Madinga Kenene, a grade one learner at the school, said the porridge is delicious and he loves it.
Hunger can be found in every corner of the country, affecting one in five children, and this problem often plays out in the classroom. Hungry children struggle to concentrate in class, visit the school nurse daily with headaches and stomach aches, and many act up because they are hungry. That is why they are distracted and start to fall behind.
Also helping on the day was Crescent Mobile: Crescent Lifestyle (www.crescentlifestyle.net), an organisation that offers community uplifting services. Its managing director, Al-Firnas Patel, said this initiative is very important to them and they support it fully.
“This is such a noble cause. Learners can study on full stomachs. Out of about 150 charities and schools we have donated over R2,2 million since we started in 2008. It is our responsibility to give back to the community. That is why we need more members to join, because the more members, the more we can give back and our members get to choose the beneficiary,” he said.
Mohamed Chodree urged schools in the South ,who want to introduce this project to their learners, to contact Al-Imdaad Foundation at 011 496 2754 or chodree@alimdaad.com or visit www.alimdaad.com
Watch video where Mohamed Chodree visited the school.
