Nutrition / Feeding Programme
The Feeding Programme commenced in September 2005 with around 40 children receiving one balanced meal a day.
The programme now has grown to over 130 children.
For many of the children on the programme this meal they receive is the only meal they will get each day.
The programme runs Monday to Saturday and is staffed by volunteers from Mwandi Village.
There are four regular team leaders and four volunteers that change weekly.
The team leaders, one male and three female, work on a four week roster.
With many of the children not having fathers, it has been extremely important to have a male in a volunteer leadership position.
The kids arrive at the Centre and line up to wash their hands and then head inside to say grace as a group before collecting their meals.
After lunch they wash their plates and hands and brush their teeth, then sit down to listen to a story, or play games or sports.
The children would never have played with toys or dolls before and to see the joy and delight on their faces is wonderful.
Its so cute to see a 14 year old girl playing with a doll and loving it.
As part of the programme the children are weighed once a month to see if they are putting on weight or stabilizing.
Over the past year the children have been tested for HIV and so far 20% of those on the programme are positive.
A number of those that are positive are quite healthy and could live for quite a while without needing any medication.
But there are also a number children who would benefit immensely from the Anti-Retrovirals (ARV's).
The programme allows the kids to smile and receive some love and attention before they have to go home and do chores.
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