Majority of school going children in Uganda most especially in rural areas attend classes on empty stomachs. This affects their concentration while in school and eventually impacts negatively on their general performance in studies.

A volunteer organisation, Canada Africa Schools Partnership (CASP) working alongside Ugandan rural schools in the districts of Kamuli, Iganga and Wakiso, is working out a way to ensure children grow food at school on which they can feed on without paying for it.

The organisation is promoting school gardening projects in over 20 schools where they assist schools to use their land effictively to feed their students.

Studies by Save the Children organisation show that majority Ugandans in farming communities do not have enough food to last the families through the dry seasons, which explains why one in four children under age five are stunted. And by having a meal a day, these children go to school only to sit in classrooms without benefitting much from the teacher.

Mr Moses Isabirye Lyagoba, the Country Director of the programme says they have chosen Kinu Primary School in Kamuli District where they would kickstart the programme to benefit nearly 9,000 pupils in 12 schools in districts of Kamuli, Iganga and Wakiso.

“Many schools have land but the school administrators and children need to be sensitised on how best they can fully exploit their land for better education by growing food to give children,” Mr Lyagooba says.

He says government has asked parents to send their children with food but available circumstances don’t favour the arrangement that calls for an intervention, if the UPE policy is to fulfill its objectives.

Mr Lwagooba cites Kinu Primary School in Kamuli with 51 acres idle land which is about to be used to demonstrate the proper use of land for the benefit of the schools, students and the communities in the school’s locality.

“We hope to raise a well planed school garden with short term and long term projects like tree planting,” he adds.

The country director says 1,000 pine trees have been planted on Kinu Primary School land and another consignment of 1,000 pine trees and 500 fruit trees have been given to the school to grow food for children and use the trees to earn money for other activities in the school...