A pathway out of poverty in Zambia
A mug of porridge does more than simply alleviate immediate hunger – it fuels learning and the opportunity for vulnerable children to rewrite the future.
Published onEvery morning before the sun rises over her village in Eastern Zambia, 15-year-old Nyawa is already awake, preparing for a day that most children her age would find unimaginable. She starts her day at 5am with an hour-long walk to fetch water. After completing her morning chores, she sets off for school.
Although she lives close to the school, the physical and emotional journey Nyawa makes every day is significant. She lives with her parents in a home comprising two small huts – without electricity, running water or modern conveniences. Her parents do short-term, informal farm work when they can find it. But work is scarce, and without it, the family struggles with hunger.
Education as hope
By 6:30am, Nyawa is at school and helps to sweep the grounds using homemade brushes fashioned from twigs. Her school is more than a place of learning – it’s a sanctuary from the dangers many girls her age face. Some of her friends have already dropped out, due to early pregnancies or forced marriages.
Nyawa’s words echo the particular hardship girls face in her community: “I think life is harder for girls than it is for boys,” she says. “If a girl gets pregnant then she has to stay at home and not continue her education, but the boy just carries on.”
Despite these harsh realities, Nyawa is determined to stay at school. “I know my parents are struggling and suffering and I feel that dropping out or becoming pregnant would only add to their worries,” she says. “I am encouraged to stay at school and learn as much as I can.”
Nyawa dreams of becoming a nurse – an ambition rooted in compassion and the desire for a better future. She studies during daylight because there’s no electricity at home. Without a desk or even a bed, she does homework on the floor, making the most of the limited resources and time.
The struggle for basics
Nyawa’s resilience reflects a broader struggle shared by many children in the village.
According to village headman Isaac Njobvu, hunger and climate change are the community’s greatest threats. “The biggest challenge right now is hunger,” he explains. “The rain has become unpredictable... We planted for the usual time rain should arrive, but our seeds didn’t grow. We have been forced to plant again but have little money for seeds. But if we can’t plant, we will have nothing to eat.”
This year, like many others recently, brought a prolonged drought, devastating crops and forcing families into economic desperation. Nyawa and her family, like many in her community, often go days without food. “I worry about hunger all the time, and the bad harvest that is coming,” she says. “There are days when we don’t eat any food and my parents have to try and find work, but if there is no work, there is no food.”
A lifeline in every mug
One of the few consistent sources of support for children like Nyawa is a simple but powerful intervention: a daily mug of porridge provided by Mary’s Meals.
Headteacher Daka Chiwamila sees the impact of daily school meals firsthand. “We see the effects of hunger every day in the school,” he says. “The situation is dire... At break time all the children rush to get porridge because they are hungry.”
This mug of porridge is often the only meal students receive in a day. More than alleviating immediate hunger, it fuels learning. “Porridge keeps the children healthy and able to learn,” Chiwamila notes. “Before we had porridge, children would enrol at the start of the school year but then disappear, now they stay because there is food.”
Rewriting the future
Nyawa’s story is not just about poverty – it’s about courage, determination and the transformative power of a simple meal and education.
Her daily cup of porridge may seem like a small gesture, but for Nyawa and thousands of children like her, it represents hope, stability and the chance to rewrite the future.