Today is World Food Day!
The right to food is recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25) as part of the right to an adequate standard of living. On the 16th October we celebrate World Food Day as a day of action to end hunger worldwide.
The theme of this years World Food Day is Social Protection. Here’s a short video from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
httpss://youtu.be/xggFJv1tVco
Aidlink and our partners work in a variety of food security programmes throughout Kenya and Uganda such as agricultural training programmes and primary school gardens.
The food security component of Aidlink’s work is fully integrated with other aspects of the programme. By utilising the safe and clean water provided to increase the range and quantity of crops grown for subsistence and sale, targeted communities have diversified their diet, resulting in improved nutritional intake which has positively impacted on their health.
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n Uganda, Aidlink focuses on training rural community members and primary schools in sustainable agricultural practice. Aidlink and our partners train Community Agricultural Trainers and equip them and bicycles, allowing greater access to isolated and rural communities. In 2014, Caritas MADDO working in Rakai and Masaka districts, reported a 120% increase in yields since the beginning of the programme in 2012, which they attribute to the increased adoption of sustainable farming practices by programme participants.
In Kenya, Aidlink works with the Girl Child Network ito develop and maintain primary school gardens which are used to supplement the school feeding program supported by the Kenyan Government. The school gardens ensure children get a balanced diet each day, resulting in improved health of children and leading to more contact time between teachers and the learners. The monitoring process has shown that 50% of the schools with school gardens have reported that availability of food within the school contributes to improved performance and transition rates for girls. In instances of persistent drought, Aidlink and the Girl Child Network also mobilise emergency school feeding programmes for communities worst hit by drought.
In 2015 nobody should go hungry. Support Aidlink this World Food Day by donating here.
