Hard at work: António is happy to be able to work in the IT field
A nutritious lunch ensured that the young boy came in from the fields and went to school
Morgado Culembe
António Augusto, 37, was born into a humble family in Hondio – a rural village in Benguela, Angola.
“My village, though rich in tradition and community spirit, had little in the way of modern infrastructure. There was no electricity, no running water, and no school,” says Antonio, who also grew up during the country’s protracted civil war that lasted from 1975 to 2002.
António was raised by his mother, a small-scale farmer who worked tirelessly to provide for her children. She instilled in him the value of education even though they could barely afford school fees.
When he turned seven, António’s sister who was living in Benguela city at the time, offered to take him to town and enroll him in a school. It was a hard decision for his mother because she did not want to part with her son, but she knew this was his only chance to pursue his dream.
At 10, after completing Grade 3, António’s mother had a terrible accident during one of her farming activities which put his whole family into a crisis situation. He made a difficult decision to go back to his home village and help provide for the family.
“Although my heart ached at the thought of giving up my schooling, I knew that my family’s survival came first,” said Antonio, who had to go out into the fields and help with other chores.
Dreams deferred
His dream of becoming a doctor slipped further and further away. Then, when he was 12, the local government set up a school made of thatched grass in his home village. He was enrolled in Grade 4 and was overjoyed at the prospect of continuing his education and pursuing his dream.
The new school was included in ForAfrika’s school feeding progamme. This meant that on top of receiving lessons, António also received nutritious school meals each day.
“Many families in my community lived on extreme poverty, and therefore children often came to class on empty stomachs, making it difficult for them to perform well academically. Some parents prioritised sending their children to herd cattle or to do farming instead of going to school. When the school feeding programme was initiated, everything changed for me and my family. My five siblings and I were given a balanced meal every day and our energy levels soared,” explains Antonio.
António completed primary school in his home village and then moved to a town nearby to complete high school. Later, he took an Information Technology (IT) certification programme and, with this qualification, he was able to get a job at the Department of Education as an IT assistant.
“I believe that if I hadn’t had those meals, I would not be where I am today,” he says happily.
António’s story is a powerful reminder that interventions like providing meals to a child, can unlock potential and change lives – even for an entire community and generation.
The value of school meals
School feeding programmes are a lifeline for families in Africa. In many cases, a school lunch will be a growing child’s only nutritious meal for the day.
According to a report by our partner, the World Food Programme (WFP), for every dollar spent on a school meal, there is a $9 return on investment.
“Governments recognise that these programmes are a smart investment: they improve students’ health, nutrition and learning outcomes, and deliver big development gains to their communities and countries,” the report says.
Morgado Culembe is School Feeding Programme Manager in Angola
