Smiling children
In addition to the free lunch program, other Chinese NGOS have also launched similar projects in African countries. In 2015, the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) launched the Smiling Children Project in Ethiopia and Sudan. Using the funds raised via major fundraising platforms in China, the project has provided free breakfast and lunch to more than 4,000 students in 42 schools in Ethiopia and more than 3,600 students in seven schools in Sudan.
The beneficiaries in Sudan are students mainly from refugee families, while those in Ethiopia are students from single-parent families, orphans or children affected by HIV/AIDS, according to Wu Peng, Director of International Development Department of CFPA.
The Smiling Children Project in Ethiopia has been jointly implemented by CFPA, China Lingshan Council for the Promotion of Philanthropy, the Office of the First Lady of Ethiopia and Ye Enat Weg Charitable Association of Ethiopia, a local charity organization.
A vital component of the Smiling Children Project in Ethiopia is the mothers’ groups. Proposed by Ethiopia’s First Lady Roman Tesfaye, the groups have been orgnized, comprising mothers of beneficiary students, who are responsible
for material procurement, food preparation and distribution, according to Wu.
“Before joining mothers’ groups, most of them were unemployed and none had a stable source of income,” said Wu. “The project contributes to improving the living conditions of their families by offering them job opportunities and a stable income.”
Selawit Tadesse is a fourth-grade student at Tinsaye Birhan Elementary School in Ethiopia. Before the launch of the project, the orphan relied on her aunt’s meager income for livelihood. On the verge of dropping out of school because of meal costs, she is now assisted by the Smiling Children Project.
The Smiling Children Project in Sudan has been implemented by CFPA and its partner Al-birr and Altawasul Organization (BTO), a local charitable organization. This project covers seven schools in the states of Khartoum, White Nile and Red Sea in the country.
The regular meals have seen students’ health status and academic performance improve, said Howyda Osman Mohamed, BTO Program Manager and Manager of Smiling Children Project in Sudan. “Children are stable and happy, as they are sure that the meal is coming and there’s no need to fight with one another,” she told Chinafrica. Comments to lixiaoyu@chinafrica.cn