The Intersection of Health and Education

One of the most significant and impactful programs run by One Global Village is the school lunch program at Siraba School in Mali, West Africa. Launched in April 2015 with a generous seed gift from Drs. Mary and Dave Zamierowski, the program provides a daily, nutritious, protein-rich lunch and provides employment for women in the village who prepare and cook daily meals for over 200 students.

Dagabo is a very poor village. During the few months of the rainy season, when farm crops of maize are plentiful, families can afford a wider range of food, but for most of the year, the staple diet is millet, or sometimes rice, flavored with onions and sometimes with a tomato. Inadequate childhood nutrition has a significant impact on students. Hunger makes concentration difficult, physical and brain development slower, absenteeism higher.

Being able to provide a nutritious lunch every day has increased attendance rates at Siraba School above 95% and helped transform students’ focus and capabilities in the classroom. Koro and the Dagabo Women’s Group manage purchasing at the market in Ouéléssébougou, and the Women’s Group share responsibility for cooking. The School Committee built a storage building for bulk items and a covered area referred to as the “canteen” for the students to eat under, out of the sun.