Child Nutrition & Healthy Growth Program
Our Purpose: Purpose: Ensure children have the nutrition needed for learning, physical growth, immune strength, and emotional development.
⭐ Barefoot-Free Uganda Initiative
Our Purpose: Eliminate bare footedness among rural children through strategic shoe donations and school-based outreach.
Partner: Samaritan’s Feet International
⭐ 2. Child Nutrition & Healthy Growth Program
Our Purpose: Ensure children have the nutrition needed for learning, physical growth, immune strength, and emotional development.
EXPANSION: Activities
▪ Partner with local schools and community leaders to provide daily or weekly porridge meals
▪ Source maize flour, millet, soy, and sugar from local suppliers or farmer cooperatives
▪ Use school cooks or community mothers to prepare meals
▪ Provide cups/plates, storage containers, and cooking supplies
▪ Prioritize children who attend class hungry or have known signs of undernutrition
▪ Monitor consistency, food safety, and portion quality
👉 This is often the only meal a child receives before 4pm.
One warm cup of porridge can change a child's energy, alertness, and classroom behavior instantly.
▪Organize regular school-based vitamin A distribution in collaboration with health centers
▪Partner with Village Health Teams (VHTs) to deliver deworming tablets (Albendazole or Mebendazole) every 6 months
▪Keep medical records in collaboration with teachers or community nurses
▪Educate children on why the medicine helps their bodies grow
👉 Vitamin A deficiency and intestinal worms are two of the top causes of childhood weakness, stunting, and absenteeism in rural Uganda. This activity is low-cost but high-impact.
▪Conduct classroom sessions on “what makes a balanced meal”
▪Use posters, local foods, and fun visuals (e.g. food group games, My Healthy Plate)
▪Train parents (especially mothers) in basic food preparation, food safety, and affordable local nutrition
▪Include hygiene messages tied to food handling
▪Promote handwashing before meals
👉 This ensures CHOCU is not just feeding children — it’s changing community habits. Education + behavior change = sustainable impact.
▪Measure children’s weight and height every 3–6 months
▪Record and compare to WHO child growth standards
▪Identify signs of stunting, wasting, or underweight cases
▪Refer severe cases to health centers
▪Celebrate progress (e.g. “Healthy Growth Star” awards in school)
👉 This provides real data to donors and health partners. It also helps CHOCU identify hidden malnutrition before it's too late.
🔷 EXPANSION: Impact
▪A hungry child struggles to sit still, read, or remember.
▪With daily porridge, students stay alert during long morning lessons.
▪Teachers report noticeable improvements in attention and energy.
▪Dewormed, well-fed children have stronger immune systems
▪Vitamin A reduces the risk of eye diseases, respiratory infections, and diarrhea
▪With basic nutrition and hygiene education, sickness-related absenteeism drops
▪Nutrition affects brain growth, especially in ages 0–10
▪With regular food and nutrients, children process lessons better, remember longer, and engage more
▪Long-term result: improved grades, literacy, and transition to higher grades
✅ Summary:
This program delivers more than meals. It brings:
✔ health
✔ learning
✔ hope
✔ dignity
✔ a stronger foundation for life
