Oshikandela brings sustenance on Africa Day of School Feeding
The principal of Hillside Primary School, Nathalië Uaendere (2nd from right) last week played host to officials from the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture when Namibia Dairies and Pick n Pay gave every learner in her school a carton of Oshikandela cultured milk to commemorate the Africa Day of School Feeding.
From the ministry came Joy Mamili (left), Veno Kauari (2nd from left) and Otto Imbura (centre right). The Oshikandela was brought to the school by Leonie Prinsloo (centre left) and Diedre-Ann Rhodes (right) from the marketing department at Namibia Dairies.
The Minister of Education, Arts and Culture, Hon Katrina Hanse-Himarwa said “I hold school feeding very close to my heart because of the role it plays in promoting and strengthening education. I have witnessed school feeding first hand, as a teacher and as a leader at the regional level and know what it means to our learners and to communities at large. School feeding has a significant impact on access, retention and attendance and in the reduction of school drop-out rates among school-age children. School meals also reduce short-term hunger and serve as a vehicle for meeting the nutritional requirements of children. The meals improve learning, cognitive capacity, concentration in class and contribute to better performance.”
The Africa School Feeding Day, according to World Food Programme representative, Jennifer Bitonde raises awareness of sustenance as an investment in the education of children. “School feeding is a vital safety net for protection against hunger and poverty” she said adding that in Namibia, the commitments made by the government to end hunger and poverty have ensured that 330,000 children do not experience hunger while at school.
Hon Hanse-Himarwa reiterated that 330,000 learners in Namibia receive a mid-morning nutritious fortified maize meal each school day in over 1400 schools across all 14 regions in the country.
The donation partner, Pick n Pay’s Marketing Manager, Victoria Moller extended a challenge to all other companies to invest more in education and the children of Namibia.
