While establishing a photography workshop in June 2013 for Shika's Watoto Wanaweza After School Programme in Arusha (Tanzania), I witnessed first hand the difficulties and health issues faced by children suffering hunger and malnutrition.

In Tanzania, accumulating evidence shows that absenteeism, attention problems and early school dropouts are linked to short-term hunger.  In the longer-term children suffer developmental stunting, low body weight and micronutrients malnutrition including deficiencies of iron, Iodine and Vitamin A. Short-term hunger and malnutrition as a result of insufficient or poorly balanced diet is a significant problem impacting school children's health and education outcomes in Tanzania. 

Most school children spend 12 out of 24 hours in school (including the time travelling to and from school) and they depend only on the evening meal provided at home for their nutritional needs.

It saddened me and inspired me to try to do something to help these vulnerable children so that they can have the best possible chance to take advantage of their sponsored education.

Shika has been trialling the healthy food plan since July 2013 and is currently feeding all 73 children who attend the Watoto Wanaweza After School Programme twice per week. Susi Mayer, Shika's Programme Manager has witnessed immediate improvements in attendance at school and in the attention of the children.

“I see the children more motivated in their after school activities and tuition after getting a healthy and good meal, they are having fun eating fruit and all the children attend the centre on our fruit and vegetable days.”

I would like to raise enough money so that Shika can provide 73 primary school children with a healthy meal twice a week until the end of 2013. In 2014 there will be 47 primary school children participating in the programme and I would like to help Shika provide a healthy meal every day for these 47 children. I have worked with Shika's Programme Manager and calculated a budget of £6000 to fund this initiative for the next 16 months. This budget includes the staff required to prepare and cook the meals.

Empowerment has been recognised as an important strategy of addressing childhood under-nutrition as it brings back power to the marginalized people by improving people's participation in their own development in a meaningful way. In recognising this, Shika has employed parents of the children to help source the food, transport the food and prepare the meals. This not only provides an income source for unemployed parents, but also an opportunity to educate them in preparing balanced, healthy meals for their children. Most families eat a dish made of maize flour (ugali) and beans every day and most consume less than one serving of fruits per day. Food habits are among the oldest and most entrenched aspect of many cultures and are slow and difficult to change.

You can learn more about Shika at www.shika.org.uk

All donations will go into a draw to win a 1m x 1.3m signed print of my work. The print and framing will be to archival standards and I will personally cover all the printing and framing costs. The successful donor will be able to select the image and frame of their choice.