Moshi, TZ – Mwangaria cook weaves baskets for extra money – 29 June 2020

Mwangaria Primary school cook has been helping provide breakfast for the students by cooking since 2016. Due to coronavirus challenges, families are having difficulty donating to the school breakfast serving committee which pays her to work.

Mwangaria cook, has been working at the school for a long time. Each day she cooks enormous vats of ugali and vegetables and beans to provide to the 227 school children at Mwangaria. She was able to do this in large part due to the support of the school’s Parent committee who collects monetary donations to pay her for her work. This year they are unable to pay her due to families suffering from the coronavirus economic downturn.

She started basket weaving while the food was cooking to sell on the market. Each basket earns her some amount of Tanzanian shillings to get buy while she waits for the parent community to contribute.

Cooking at the school was her main source of income and she’s looking for additional ways to help her get by.

She hopes that soon, things will improve in the local economy and families will again be able to pay the small fee to provide breakfast daily to the students.