October 5, (THEWILL) – At least 2000 pupils from Akwa Ibom State would benefit from the pilot feeding scheme of the African Children Aid Education and Development Foundation (ACAEDF) in collaboration with the Denmark Embassy in Nigeria.
ACAEDF is a non-governmental organization, sponsored by the Denmark Embassy in Nigeria and has commenced the feeding of school farm meal programme in the state.
The organisation, THEWILL gathered is targeting the daily feeding of over 2,000 pupils drawn from four pilot primary schools spread across the three senatorial districts of the State.
The schools include St Michael Primary School, Effiat Offot, Abak road, Uyo, St. Ann Primary school, Ifuho, Ikot Ekpene, Qua Iboe Church group school, Ikot Akpatek, Onna, Government Primary school, Idung Offiong in Eket Local government Area of the state.
Speaking at St Michael Primary School located along Abak road, Uyo, during the flag-off ceremony, which was held simultaneously across the selected schools, the Programme Coordinator, Mr David Uwem, expressed appreciation that the project has come to reality with the official inauguration in the state.
According to him, the last phase was planting saying that what was planted is now what is being used in feeding the children.
“What we are doing today is the official implementation of the project. The last phase was the planting, now, what was planted is what we will be using now in cooking for the children. So we have just started the cooking for the children to start feeling”, he explained.
The Coordinator said that the sustainability of the programme depends on the success of its first and second phases.
He said, “The sustainability of the project will depend on the success of the first and second phases. There is nobody that does not like a good thing. When we see the success of the first phase, most likely we will be going for the second phase and third phase and it will continue like that.”
In his remarks, the Acting Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr Iniobong Akpan, while thanking the partners for the project, described it as a wonderful initiative.
He said the project is unique because what is produced is what is being used in feeding the children in the schools.
“Today, I came here to witness what is happening here in this Primary school. Our partners just started a school farm for school meals. It is a wonderful initiative because what they are using in feeding the children is produced here. By my side here is the fish pond and we also have a farm over there where they are using it to feed the kids, it is a good thing and I want to thank our partners for this initiative”, he maintained.
Head Teacher of the school, Deaconess Victoria Jacob, while appreciating the partners for the project which she noted would raise the number of school enrollment, also thanked God for choosing her school as one of the many schools in the state for the pilots scheme.
She pledged to ensure that the right thing is done to protect the integrity of the school and continuity of the scheme.
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