Drought Cripples Lira School Feeding Program, Pupils Go Hungry

Pupils at Walela Primary School in Lira District are facing significant hunger due to a failed school feeding program, exacerbated by a severe drought. The school had relied on a maize garden, planted by the pupils themselves, to provide a midday meal. However, a prolonged dry spell has decimated the harvest, leaving the school struggling to feed its over 700 students.

The feeding program at Walela, like many government-aided schools in northern Uganda, is heavily dependent on contributions from parents. With the expected harvest yielding little, the school kitchen has become largely inactive. Teachers report that a substantial number of pupils leave school early because they cannot endure hunger, impacting overall attendance and the ability to concentrate during lessons.

Efforts to bolster the feeding program through the CASCADE project, which supported the planting of maize and vegetables, were also thwarted by the unfavorable weather. The head teacher, Romano Ojur, confirmed that the harvest was “very poor,” with pupils collecting almost nothing. The school now plans to hold urgent meetings with parents to solicit additional food contributions, a challenging prospect as many households are also affected by poor harvests.

Local officials and NGOs have highlighted the broader issue of food insecurity in the region, which strains parents’ ability to contribute to school feeding initiatives. There are calls for more sustainable approaches to school feeding, including strengthening on-site food production and providing technical training for teachers to manage school gardens effectively. The situation at Walela underscores the vulnerability of schools reliant on community contributions when faced with environmental and economic hardships.

Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/drought-leaves-lira-school-pupils-hungry-as-feeding-programme-falters-5571528