Lockdown: Put children first by providing them with nutritious food

Government should provide food parcels in poor communities to help struggling families during the lockdown. 

Many children who get a meal at school, are suffering a lot during the lockdown since schools closed because of the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

It will even be worse now with the extension of the lockdown.

Since the schools are closed, there is no feeding scheme for millions of children who depend on the programme.

I think the departments of basic education and social development should have made plans to feed children during the lockdown.

Maybe, government should provide parents of these children with food so that they don’t have to take the risk of going out to find food.

I strongly believe government isn’t helping these struggling families. What will happen to these children should the lockdown be extended again?

These departments should work together to find solutions to the food problem these struggling families and children are facing.

If the departments think giving out vouchers will be a problem, then they must find other ways to distribute the food to the children at their homes.

They can start a volunteer programme which would see food parcels being delivered at the children’s doorsteps.

Government should also provide clean water to struggling communities. We can’t be expected to wash our hands regularly and prepare food when there is no running water.

The food should be very nutritious and healthy too.

It doesn’t even taste nice and I doubt if government officials would even eat the food.

The quality of the food children eat at some government schools is shocking, it won’t protect a child’s immune system. Instead, the food sometimes makes children get ill.

The distribution of food to children who depend on the feeding scheme should not just be done during the lockdown, but government should provide food parcels to struggling families on top of the social grants they receive each month.

It should be done for many years to come.

Khuthalo Mahlangu is a Grade 5 pupil from Tembisa

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