Oasis Meals · At school
Hard to learn
on an empty stomach.
In many schools, lunch depends on what each family can contribute. Children who go without struggle to concentrate in the afternoon, and some stop coming. Oasis Meals pays for a hot lunch, cooked at school, every school day.
Why it matters
What holds children back
- Many children leave home without breakfast and walk a long way to school.
- Afternoon lessons are lost to hunger and tiredness.
- Families who cannot afford the food contribution sometimes keep children at home.
What it pays for
- Maize, rice, beans, vegetables and cooking oil bought from local suppliers
- Cooking fuel and kitchen equipment
- The cook’s wages, paid through the school committee
- Plates and cups, and handwashing before every meal
How it works
Careful, local and recorded.
With the school committee
The school, its committee and parents run the kitchen, in line with the Government’s school feeding guidelines. We pay for food, fuel and the cook.
Bought locally
Food is bought from farmers and traders near the school, so the money stays in the community.
The whole class eats
Lunch is served to every child in the class, not only some, so no child is singled out.
Counted every day
The school keeps a daily meal register, which we check against what was bought.
What we look for
What success looks like
- A hot meal served on every school day
- Better attendance in the afternoon
- Meal registers match what was bought
Questions
What do the children eat?
A hot, simple Tanzanian school lunch, usually maize or rice with beans and vegetables, cooked at the school.
How much does it cost?
$200 feeds one child for a term and $600 for a whole school year.
Why at school rather than at home?
A meal at school brings children to school and keeps them there for the afternoon. For the families we visit at home, we also bring food through Oasis Homes.
The other programmes
At school and at home.
Oasis Scholars
Uniforms, shoes, books and a mentor, so a bright child stays in class.
Read more For every childOasis Health
A year of health insurance, so a sick child is taken to a clinic straight away.
Read more At schoolOasis Reading Rooms
Shelves of books, a quiet room and reading clubs in Kiswahili and English.
Read more At homeOasis Homes
Beds, mattresses and food for the homes where our children live.
Read more
Together we can change lives.
A uniform, a hot meal, a health card, a book, a bed. Small things that change a child’s life.