Nourishing Edinuss’ future in Zambia
Mary’s Meals is giving 11-year-old Edinuss, who is deaf and unable to speak, the incentive to go to school and receive an education in rural Zambia.
Published onMost of the children at the primary school in Chikomangana come from farming families. Food shortages are a constant struggle for families in this rural part of Zambia’s Mambwe District.
But a huge motivation for many families to send their children to school is the food they receive every day from Mary’s Meals. Around 10am every school day, the children line up in the yard, mugs in hands, where volunteer cooks serve each child with nutritious porridge fortified with essential vitamins and minerals.
As one of the teachers explained: “When a child comes to school, they come to eat.”
Providing an incentive to attend school
One such child at the school is 11-year-old Edinuss, who cannot hear or speak. As a baby, an illness left Edinuss completely deaf and unable to speak. Her father died when she was young, and her mother died from cancer in 2024.
Edinuss now lives with her aunt and uncle. The family is welcoming and although none of them can sign (including Edinuss) they have learned to communicate. They are extremely poor and having one more mouth to feed has increased the pressure on Edinuss’ relatives.
Her teacher explains that in the immediate aftermath of her mother’s death, Edinuss was “very low” but that things have been improving recently. Mary’s Meals is an incentive for the family to send the girl to school.
Preparing for the future
Although it might seem challenging for Edinuss to learn in this mainstream environment, her teacher says she is thriving at school. She says that Edinuss is good at handwriting and maths – and her schoolbooks confirm this.
Edinuss may not be able to speak, but she interacts with her friends like any other child. She gestures with her hands, taps her friends affectionately on the arm to get their attention and makes certain sounds to indicate her meaning. She really comes alive in the company of her friends.
Her teacher says she would love to see Edinuss gain practical skills, such as tailoring, so that she can earn a living one day. She may have a long road ahead of her, but thanks to Mary’s Meals supporters, Edinuss is attending participating in life at the school, which is helping to prepare her for the future – fuelled by mugs of nutritious porridge.