Imagine opening your lunch box, and finding it empty. Afternoon classes are tough enough to get through, but especially on an empty stomach.

Meseret Yohannes, a pre-school teacher in Ethiopia, has seen hunger enter her classroom: “Once, when I was working with my children, a six-year-old girl fainted and fell on the wall. I immediately took her to the nearby clinic. The nurse told me that it was hunger, not sickness.”

Hunger is a reality for many children all over the world, but it shouldn’t be a barrier to education. Plan has found that adding lunch to its education programs helps make sure that no one misses out on their lessons.

Take a tour of a school lunch program in Rwanda with Plan Canada CEO Rosemary McCarney:

How do school lunches help children to stay in school?

  • Children with full stomachs are better at concentrating on their studies.
  • Parents don’t have to send their children out to work to cover the cost of food.
  • Girls, who often are the last to eat, don’t have to fight for their fair share.
  • Because Plan’s lunch programs often include starting a school garden, children learn how to grow and harvest their own food.

Check out how you can make a difference: give a Mango Tree!

What’s in your favourite packed lunch?