A soup kitchen at Gava village serves meals to 174 children three times weekly. Catholic AIDS Action started this program in March, with the UN World Food Programme helping kids aged six months to nine years facing hunger problems. The coordinator, Kakuru Servantius, explains that many children would have nothing to eat after school without this service. The center accepts all vulnerable children, even those not officially registered, which sometimes creates food shortages before monthly supplies arrive.
Children occasionally miss meals for several days without parents explaining why they are missing meals. Servantius asks the government to help expand feeding to five days every week. Staff members find tracking absent children difficult because families rarely report reasons for missing mealtimes. High demand exists for additional services, as many families struggle with food security throughout the area.
Fatima Mununga has two children who benefit from the soup kitchen, including her 18-month-old baby, diagnosed with malnutrition last year. She works in other people's fields, trading labor for food to feed her family. Her second-grade child eats at the center after school, which reduces pressure on their limited resources. Despite receiving drought relief supplies, these items prove insufficient for her household of nine people.
Children occasionally miss meals for several days without parents explaining why they are missing meals. Servantius asks the government to help expand feeding to five days every week. Staff members find tracking absent children difficult because families rarely report reasons for missing mealtimes. High demand exists for additional services, as many families struggle with food security throughout the area.
Fatima Mununga has two children who benefit from the soup kitchen, including her 18-month-old baby, diagnosed with malnutrition last year. She works in other people's fields, trading labor for food to feed her family. Her second-grade child eats at the center after school, which reduces pressure on their limited resources. Despite receiving drought relief supplies, these items prove insufficient for her household of nine people.
