Education they say is the game changer, schools are usually not defined as a closed space but as a platform to weave different ideas while impacting knowledge.
Schools can be physical or virtual but the concept is the same, impact knowledge : show your students how its done. When you want to disseminate information,introduce a new concept or rejig the mindset of a community, take the campaign to schools.
When you want to improve nutrition, change to healthier diets then schools are the platforms you need. This will definitely create a ripple effect as kids will give feedback to parents when they get back home.
We are all familiar with the phrase " our aunty ( assistant teachers) said" or" my teacher said" then you know you are about to be schooled.
Schools create the necessary interactive platform to reach the target audience to improve nutrition. How do we start? Education about different classes of foods using play cards. Engaging students on different classes of foods, functions in body and the common sources of these classes of foods.
The use of story boards,games especially crosswords will send the message home perfectly. The use of game boards as well as animated works showcasing under -consumption, over -consumption and non-consumption of the different classes of foods. The session can be rounded off by introduction of different nutritious meals that are balanced and available in the locality.
The school feeding programme is a great platform to provide one nutritious meal a day, but can also be used as an educative platform to teach about nutritious meals using different classes of food. Do you want kids to love veggies? then incorporate delicious meals using veggies in the feeding programme.
An egg a day keeps the doctor away, eggs are super foods. The use of eggs in the school feeding programme is a nutritious advantage, but using powdered eggs in the school programme is a way of introducing this to communities and also empower small holder farmers.
