Nutritious School Meals Inspire Gaby to Start a Farm of His Own at Home

In Ngozi, a town in northern Burundi, 13-year-old Gaby attends the eighth grade at Don Bosco Ngozi High School. Since its founding, the school has faced challenges in providing meals regularly to more than 1,000 students enrolled due to a lack of funds and the surrounding land providing insufficient quantities to feed the students.

Driven by the vision to support its students’ proper growth and development, in partnership with Rise Against Hunger, in-country partner Salesian Missions began distributing meals through its school feeding program up to three times a day. The daily meals include local ingredients and provide a balanced diet of porridge for breakfast, cassava bread for lunch and Rise Against Hunger fortified rice meals for dinner — an incentive for parents to ensure their children have access to education and meals.

These meals have improved Gaby’s health and ability to focus more at school and provide him the energy to participate in the school choir and play basketball with classmates, he explains how much he loves the rice meals above all else. “In this school, I like three things [including] the meals, the farm and the music,” he said.

Br. Gatson, head of the boarding students and educator, supports the high school students in their studies and advises them through school rules and regulations to help them excel. He says Gaby is a dedicated student who continues to thrive and has grown exceptionally by engaging in class and extracurricular activities, and he was promoted to the next class.

Since the school feeding program began, Fr. Elie, Director of Don Bosco Ngozi High School, says the distribution of meals provides a consistent source of nutrition for the students. He said, “The lives of students have changed significantly.”

The impact of the school meals has also inspired Gaby to become involved at the school’s farm, where he makes daily visits to help with the chickens and goats. He even started a small farm at home. He says, “I want to become a great farmer, able to provide for the needs of my family and other vulnerable children.”

You can help even more children like Gaby around the world pave the way towards a brighter future through access to education and a school feeding program that provides nourishing meals. Whether you’re a business, school, church or organization seeking to make an impact in the lives of people facing hunger, join the movement by hosting a Rise Against Hunger Experience.