This archive report was first published on 6 July 2020.
On July 6, 2020, a Sh. 350,000 food donation was given to 170 vulnerable families in Amu Island with their children attending El-Maawiya Primary School to support them through the COVID-19 crisis.
The children are beneficiaries of El-Maawiya Development Group's free primary and secondary education initiative, which aims to provide a good education to bright and talented children from poor families within Amu Island.
Langoni Chief Ali Haidar praised the move to support these families, stating that many guardians and parents with children in the school had been laid off or lost their revenue streams due to the virus.
He noted that most of the children from these families had resorted to taking up fishing to provide food support for their families.
El-Maawiya Group Board member Maliha Mohammed Ali explained that the donation was a continuation of their school feeding programme, which they decided to undertake despite schools being closed.
Teachers from the school have been undertaking home tutoring for the students, especially the candidates, to ensure they do not lag behind in their studies. The teachers are also being paid their salaries despite schools being closed.
Maliha stated that her organisation is aware of how families are strained for resources and had decided to continue the school feeding programme by contacting and donating directly to the families.
She added that their goal is to ensure that their students are not subjected to child exploitation through early marriages or prostitution.
Lamu Chamber of Commerce official Ikhawan Omar and community social worker Abdul Skanda echoed sentiments that there is a need for more initiatives to ensure better child development and prevent child exploitation.
Abdul Skanda called on the county government to borrow a leaf from the school and institute a school feeding programme across the whole of Lamu to prevent child exploitation or neglect.
