Small Steps To A Better Life
Helping Hand Appeal
When we first met Blessings Jackson, in Malawi in 2014, care-givers didn’t even know his name. It was the first week of the new school year and such was the chaotic life faced by many children in the poverty-stricken country, building a definitive picture was difficult.
The presence of Mary’s Meals in countries like Malawi is essential. The meal they provide to school children is often the only food they will receive in a day. However, there is also a need for youngsters who are not quite old enough to go to school, so the charity works in Under-6 centres, including the one where Blessings was enrolled, Namasimba, on the outskirts of the city of Blantyre.
The Under-6 centres are similar to nurseries, and vitally, they provide a nutritious mug of porridge, or phala as it is known locally, to very young children, in a bid to target those going through early childhood development.
In these centres, malnutrition is rife and facilities minimal. The centre we visited had a few toys, most broken and old. There were a few desks and a blackboard.
We described Blessings as follows: One boy, who can’ t be more than three, is an example of this. He’ s wearing a Manchester United top–not that he will have any concept of what the team is. He doesn’ t speak and his expression barely changes. His stomach is distended, a sign of malnutrition. He clutch es a small, plastic motor bike, and one of the few signs of life is when he absently spins the wheels.
“We don’ t know his name yet ,” says care-giver Ruth K wan go .“He doesn’ t say anything and we have to coax him to get involved. I hope we can get through tohimsoon.”
During our morning at the centre, the only time he became animated was when the call went out that the porridge was ready. He wasn’t the only one. All the kids in the centre – around 135 – would instantly drop what they were doing, head to the outside tap to wash their hands, then indoor sid to receive it heh much- ne ed edhddmeal.l SMALL IMPROVEMENTS Four years on, life is still difficult for Blessings, but things have improved a little. Before he was born, his mother Martha was very sick. Discharged from hospital and living hand-to-mouth, she liaised with the Namasimba Director and they agreed she would help with chores at the centre for food.
She left Namasimba after recovering, returned in 2011 with a baby named Blessings and rejoined the centre to continue her voluntary work.
In 2013, Blessings enrolled at the centre, where he was able to learn and eat. He graduated to Namasimba Primary School in 2016, with well over 4,000 pupils, and is in standard 2.
Blessings is now seven and working hard at school. He lives with both parents and has three siblings. Money is tight and it is difficult to feed the family. Blessings said, “I eat the phala here at school. I don’t feel hungry when I’ve eaten. I feel full in class.”
He’s a very quiet boy and despite the positives, life is still hard. Blessings held on tightly to a broken plastic bag containing a few exercise books and his mug. He wasn’t in uniform and his clothes were threadbare. He and his family can, however, take comfort in knowing that food is available, thanks to Mary’s Meals.
When the food was ready, all 135 kids dropped what they were doing