A Warm Meal Goes a Long Way | An Update From Liberia
A warm meal can minister powerfully
to the children we serve in Liberia who might otherwise go hungry. Many of them receive only one meal per day in the evenings, because their families can’t afford to feed them more. The vast majority of students in Liberia go to school on an empty stomach, making it difficult for them to concentrate throughout the day when hunger pangs and lack of energy strike.
But through your support, God is making a way for 400 students and 32 teachers at Lifesong Christian Academy to receive a warm meal for lunch every school day.
Our team in Liberia is implementing a new feeding project.
Emmanuel, Director of Lifesong Liberia said—
“The feeding project is seen as a miracle from God. People are truly surprised by what Lifesong is doing here, and they’re happy about it.”
Now that children are receiving food, the learning environment is full of life because students have more energy and get sick less often. A filling meal is a great incentive to come to school, and because they aren’t hungry, they are more excited to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities. Adequate nutrition is a critical component of effective education.
The teachers are benefiting too.
Pastor Abraham Charlie, who teaches reading and health, said—
“Our passion to teach has been energized because we don’t have to come to school on an empty stomach and teach for five hours each day.”
When teachers bring energy to their classrooms, students are more engaged in their learning.
Our team in Liberia serves rice, beans, fish, potatoes, vegetables, palm butter soup, cassava leaf soup, and pea soup, according to the meal schedule of the week. These carefully planned meals are critical to maintaining the health of children ages 5 to 9 years old. When we invest in nutrition for elementary-school kids, we help them reach their full potential and become productive adults.
320 students attend Lifesong Christian Academy, and 126 young adults attend Lifesong Vocational College in the afternoon. Lifesong Vocational College exists to teach older students valuable skills that enable them to reliably provide for their families in the future. Because of the new feeding project and ongoing construction of classrooms on our campus, we praise God our team in Liberia plans to enroll additional students in the coming school year and expects a lower dropout rate.
Parents can’t wait to send their children to Lifesong schools where their kids will receive holistic care, including nutritious food and quality education. It is an answered prayer that their children have opportunities to learn, grow, develop, and thrive.