Long before the sun rises over our centres and before the first students pass through our gates, a quiet, dedicated team is already at work.
Fires are lit, heavy pots are scrubbed, and ingredients are carefully measured. From early-morning bowls of porridge to hearty afternoon lunches, our feeding program staff prepare over 1.8 million meals every year!
As our “Full Tummies, Full Minds” back-to-school campaign reaches its midpoint, we want to highlight the incredible people behind the aprons. Far more than food handlers, they are quiet observers and devoted guardians who pour love into every bowl served.
Here are the stories of VOH Africa’s kitchen heroes who keep our students nourished and ready to learn every single day.
Before classes start each day, our kitchen mothers at VOH Bulale are hard at work, lighting the fires and carefully stirring large pots of warm, nutritious porridge. Their early-morning devotion ensures every child receives a comforting meal after their first classes, laying a steady foundation for a day of learning.
After breakfast, they go straight to preparing lunch. As soon as lunch is served, the impact is immediate: tired, hungry students feel renewed vitality, and restless energy turns into quiet concentration.
According to the cooks at VOH Bwiza, their daily work offers a front-row seat to how regular meals help children overcome hunger, regain energy, and focus on their studies. Many of the children they serve previously struggled to access regular meals, sometimes having only one meal at the end of the day.
"When we see the children come hungry and then leave after eating with energy and happiness, we know that the food we prepare is making a real difference in their lives."
The cooks share that one of their greatest encouragements is when VOH alums return to the centre to express gratitude. Many have completed their studies and are now embracing independent lives with renewed hope—a gift that began with a simple daily meal.
Paintner is our dedicated cook at VOH Chongwe, taking time each day to prepare porridge for 700 girls and boys. She always serves the High Energy Protein Supplement (HEPS) porridge with a smile and a touch of motherly love.
Paintner shares that she is very happy to know that once the children are well-fed, they are happy and able to concentrate on their lessons. Drawing directly on her own experience as a child facing food insecurity long ago, she knows a hungry child is difficult to teach. Paintner firmly believes feeding children at school must go hand in hand with learning.
Meet Nelly. Nelly has been working as a cook at VOH Kitwe for 18 years! Coming from a humble background, she has always enjoyed cooking and caring for children through food. When she first joined the VOH Kitwe feeding programme, she simply saw it as an opportunity to prepare meals. Over time, however, she came to understand that her work is much bigger than just cooking.
Nelly feels immense joy when children arrive knowing that a meal is waiting for them. She has watched children who were once quiet and malnourished become active, confident students. What touches her most is seeing children wait patiently for their food and then come up to say a simple “thank you” after receiving it. Those simple words mean the world to her.
For more than eight years, Joyce has been VOH Luongo’s food handler. She firmly believes that a healthy child is better able to learn, grow, and reach their full potential. Through our centre’s feeding program, which provides nutritious HEPS porridge, children receive the essential nourishment they need to grow stronger and healthier.
Joyce has seen the program’s impact firsthand, sharing that children who once struggled with frequent illnesses have become much stronger. Good nutrition gives them the physical energy to learn, play, and concentrate in class.
For Joyce, every bowl of porridge is more than just a meal; it is a direct investment in the future of each child.
Penjani heads our Hospitality Department at VOH Malawi, keeping the centre clean and preparing daily meals for the children. He first joined VOH Malawi in 2013, served until 2015, and returned in 2020. Since then, he has helped prepare countless meals our children enjoy through the feeding program.
Many children arrive facing severe malnutrition and health challenges affecting their skin and hair. However, after receiving nutritious meals consistently for several months, Penjani gets to watch their health bounce back.
He is deeply grateful to help prepare meals that nourish our children and restore their health every day.
At VOH Maramvya, our head cook Sarah shares that joining the feeding program brought her personal fulfillment and joy. Preparing daily meals has given her work profound meaning as she witnesses the children transform into healthy, energetic, and high-achieving students.
Watching the children’s smiles and academic progress serves as a daily reward, motivating our kitchen staff to serve with unwavering dedication.
Aunty Kabunda and Aunty Bertha cook an amazing meal for over 700 children every day at VOH Mongu! They have seen firsthand how the feeding program supports learners from many different backgrounds, some with ongoing medical concerns, and others who are facing food insecurity at home.
Through this program, these two aunties provide nutritious meals that help students regain their strength and focus in class. It is so encouraging to see how a simple meal brings smiles to the students’ faces and gives them the energy to participate in school activities.
As our team at Mongu shares, the feeding program is not just about food; it’s about giving every child a fair chance to learn and grow.
At VOH Mwanza, both caregivers and cooks pour extraordinary attention into the children’s daily care.
Agness has cooked for VOH Mwanza’s feeding program for four years, bringing a steady, unhurried presence to the kitchen.
"When you cook for many people, you learn patience. A pot does not cook faster because you are anxious... Some children eat quickly and run back to play, and others eat slowly, like they want the meal to last longer. I notice these things. It tells me something about their day, even before their teacher does."
Meanwhile, Mama Kabula manages one of our children’s homes at VOH Mwanza, ensuring children receive the right food to heal:
"When these children come to me, many of them are thin and tired. My biggest job isn't just to shelter them. It's to make sure their bodies get what they need to recover and grow... food alone can't erase what they've experienced, but it gives them the strength to start again."
"For a long time, I walked three kilometres each day to prepare meals at the school... I have seen children gain energy, attend school more regularly, and learn better simply because they are fed."
My name is Beatrice, and I have served for more than five years as a cook at VOH Zimbabwe’s satellite program in Bulawayo. I am also a mother of four daughters, one of whom is supported through the sponsorship program and is now in Grade 8.
Because my husband works as a local vendor, I understand the struggles many families around us face and how important one dependable meal can be for a child. For a long time, I walked three kilometres each day to prepare meals at the school. Later, the school helped my family with on-site housing, which eased that burden tremendously. Every day, I prepare nutritious corn and soya blend meals for more than 250 children, as well as vulnerable infants and toddlers from the community.
I have witnessed children gain energy, attend school more regularly, and learn better because they are fed.
Behind every smile in our classrooms is a kitchen mother, a dedicated cook, or a caring food handler who ensured that child was fed today.
Right now, our “Full Tummies, Full Minds” campaign is raising $30,000 to keep our school pantries stocked for the new term. When you give, you are directly equipping cooks like Nelly, Paintner, Beatrice, and Agness with the wholesome ingredients they need to nourish young minds.
Every gift fills a bowl, fuels a classroom, and changes a life.
