Moshi, TZ – Mwangaria plants corn on time despite set backs from national government – 22 Feb 2018

Parents at Mwangaria Primary School successfully planted 2.5 acres of corn which will be used in school breakfast after it is harvested in July. The parents’ target was 2.5 acres but plans were jeopardized by a string of last-minute government pronouncements.

Tupendane has been collaborating with students, parents, administrators, and other stakeholders in Mwangaria for months planning to prepare farmland for the first 2018 planting season. The week that work was scheduled to begin the government announced that parents should not be required to make any contributions to schools. This caused confusion about whether they should be allowed to contribute labor to grow food for their children at school farms. The confusion caused major delays but the work eventually got done and corn was planted on schedule. Eventually, the government clarified that parents shouldn’t have to pay school fees, but they could help at the school in other ways.

Tupendane and the students at Mwangaria Primary School hope this is just a small headache on the way to a year of nutritious breakfast!