Most children at the Fatima Jinnah School come from
underprivileged backgrounds and cannot afford to have
breakfast before coming to school. This is an unhealthy
practice and hampers their abilities to concentrate
in class, resulting in slow progress.
To counter this problem and prepare the children to
be energetic and active, a Breakfast Programme was
started for Kindergarten students, where the young
children were given fortified milk and a breakfast
of either eggs, noodles or fruits (depending upon
the season) so that they could get some nutritious
fuel for the day. The programme supports almost 250
children and is monitored and supervised by a team
of two teachers, two parent volunteers, as well as
the Sports Coordinator & Project Coordinator.
In addition to starting their day with a nutritious
meal, the children also learn table manners and the
importance of good eating habits. The activity starts
at 8am and ends at 8:30 am with a thanksgiving prayer.
The team takes care to create a healthy and balanced
menu.
The programme has brought about a heartening improvement
in the development and health of our young students.
The nurse in the Health Room reports that she hardly
sees any complaints from KG students now. This shows
the impact of the programme – given how many
of them would have to be taken to the health room
every day, fainting from weakness or malnutrition.
