food literacy: Nelson Kamoyo’s journey from hunger to empowerment
Growing up in rural Malawi, going to school hungry and having one meal per day was the norm. As the last-born in a large family, Nelson Kamoyo often skipped school to work in support of his family. Witnessing his siblings thrive after completing their education inspired him to work hard and break the chains of poverty. Now, he is dedicated to empowering children with food literacy and sustainable farming knowledge to alleviate malnutrition and child poverty.
Child poverty in Malawi – overcoming challenges
“Ding-ding-ding-ding” – the lunch bell rings at my local primary school. I glance to my left and my right, watching everyone open their lunch boxes while the sweet aroma of different foods fills the air. I reach into my plastic handmade bag; it contains nothing but a few torn writing books and two broken pencils. This was my everyday experience at school during the lunch break. It hurt to go to school every day.
Breaking the chains of poverty
I was born in the rural areas of Malawi. In a family of seven children, I am the last born. However, the gap of 22 years between me and the firstborn in my family often left me feeling like a misplaced puzzle piece. I grew up in poverty, and my old parents struggled to make ends meet. Over 80% of the population of Malawi live in rural areas and over two-thirds live in extreme poverty, my family being subsistence farmers, were part of this two-third majority.
From empty stomachs to full plates: a fight against malnutrition
The weight of family responsibilities became heavier on my parents as the number of children began to grow; they were no longer able to feed us proper meals. Despite their best efforts, they could only afford to provide us with one meal a day. They would often give up their daily meal so that we could eat. Sometimes, all we had was Nsima (a maize flour meal) with a sprinkle of salt because there were no vegetables to go with it. At night my stomach would growl as I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of delicious food.
There was nothing I could do but just accept the situation. Going to school was a cold dream for me because my parents could not afford to pay for my school fees. When I managed to start school, I would go to school on an empty stomach making it challenging for me to concentrate on my studies, and lunch breaks were a bitter reminder of my situation.
Empowering Malawian children: the role of food literacy and sustainable farming
I would jealously watch my classmates open their packed meal boxes during lunch break, while I would swallow my saliva to stave off the hunger. The grumbling of my empty stomach was my constant companion, a silent song that offered no comfort to me and my starvation. It was a lullaby of an empty stomach, but not the one that brought any peace to my misery. I found myself skipping school more regularly and ventured to the market to sell charcoal and firewood so I could help my family.
Creating change: a vision for a hunger-free Malawi
As I watched my friends’ siblings thrive and their lives transform after completing their education, a lightbulb went off in my head. I realized that I too could break the chains of poverty if I worked hard and got serious about school. My third-born brother set an example for me when he landed a job right after finishing his studies. It was a huge relief for my parents and all of us.
My parents told him to take me under his wing and make sure I finished school. When I turned 13, two more of my brothers found jobs, and life suddenly became more meaningful. We could finally afford to have extra meals each day, and it was a huge relief for my parents and the rest of the family. The future became brighter, and we were able to have a smile on our faces.
Food literacy for children: a key solution to alleviating poverty
Fast forward, years later I had a chance to work with different organizations as a videographer/photographer, and I was documenting stories about early child marriages, child poverty, and school dropouts among children. That’s when I realized that the situation I faced as a child was still a reality and that something had to be done to change it.
I directed my energy towards finding a better solution than the charity models many organizations were implementing. Food literacy and sustainable farming emerged as the perfect tools for my intervention. With a heart fueled by the desire to alleviate malnutrition and child poverty, I want to set out to empower children with food literacy and help create a generation of Malawians who make good choices of food and sustainable types of farming.
Impact: Transforming Lives Through Food Education
Imagine a world where children are taught from an early age about the importance of growing their food and making healthy, sustainable choices. A world where kids have a deep understanding of where their food comes from and how it is grown. Thanzi265 is a Malawian NGO that envisions a future where no child goes hungry, and no child suffers from malnutrition; where every child has the responsibility to preserve and pass on the wisdom of food and sustainable farming to secure the future of the world. When children are food literate, they will be empowered to make the right informed choices, and the Tanzi265 team will be providing food education in a way that’s fun, approachable, and practical.
Tackling Child Poverty: The Thanzi265 Initiative
Thanzi-265 means Health, 265: 2- raw or cooked foods, 6- the six nutrients needed for a well-balanced diet meal- Water, Carbs, Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, and Minerals, 5- The five tastes- Sour, Sweet, Umami, Bitter, Salty. And… 265- Is also the Country code of Malawi.
Beyond Charity:Food literacy- A Sustainable Approach to Ending Child Hunger
You have a chance to see Nelson live! On the 15th and 16th of December, Nelson is one of the 22 kanthari change makers who will share their inspiring life stories, as well as their solutions for social/environmental issues. You can join this year’s kanthari TALKS LIVE online, all you have to do is register on: kanthari TALKS Registration
Or if you know a change maker who could benefit from the scholarship based kanthari impact leadership course, please share the following link with him/her; www.kanthari.org
