Kathiravely Pre-School Children’s Nutrition Program
Eastern Province, Sri Lanka
The Need
Kathiravely is a small town of approximately 500 families in Eastern Province, located between Batticaloa and Trincomalee. Income for these villagers comes from farming, fishing and poultry, yet their income levels are way below the poverty line. The importance and value of education has also become a growing interest and necessity for the community and a small pre school has been established. However, in addition to education, nutrition is also imperative for children’s development and wellbeing. Previously, parents of the children had to take turns in cooking food for all of the children.
The Solution
Through the International Medical Health Organization Canada and our generous donors, we provided all the children at this pre-school with a nutritious lunch everyday to support their nutritional needs and wellbeing. Their lunch included Milk, Fruits, Eggs and various kinds of lentils such as Kadalai, Payaru and Koupi.
Resources
The resources for this project were mainly the financial support from International Medical Health Organization (IMHO) Canada through our generous donors. The program cost was approximately $6,000 per year.
The Impact
This program provided a direct and remarkable impact on the children's nutritional needs and well being. The food allowed them to have access to at least one healthy meal a day, and is important for their education as well. With a nutritious meal, the children were able to learn more effectively and therefore were able to receive the best education possible. In addition, we were able to support and impact the parents by relieving some of their cooking responsibilities.
By providing a consistent nutrition program, we ensured that the children were receiving at least one nutritious meal a day if not received anywhere else. This worked towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal #2 - No Hunger. This goal is about ending hunger and achieving food security while improving nutrition.
Through the nutrition program, we aimed to have children nourished so that they are mentally prepared for their school work, the food provided the energy and sustained them so they could learn at their greatest capacity. This worked towards UN Sustainable Development Goal #4 - quality education. This goal is about promoting lifelong learning opportunities and access to education for everyone.
Anticipated Impact
Reversed land degradation from war and migration in recent years.
Increased agricultural opportunities and sustainable living for underserved communities in the area.
# of people directly benefited
# of people indirectly benefited