How children helped in the race against hunger

About 100 secondary school students between ages nine and fifteen from the institution who belong to the school network called French Agency for French Teaching Abroad participated in the race last Friday.According the Human Resource Assistant of Action Against Hunger in Abuja, Taiwo Popoola ,  the NGO is supporting the program to help children know […]

About 100 secondary school students between ages nine and fifteen from the institution who belong to the school network called French Agency for French Teaching Abroad participated in the race last Friday.
According the Human Resource Assistant of Action Against Hunger in Abuja, Taiwo Popoola ,  the NGO is supporting the program to help children know and understand the level of malnutrition in Nigeria and for them to also be a part of the course to eradicate it. “We also made them understand why they were raising the funds and that it would be used for the purpose of helping eradicate hunger. Funds realised from the race will be sent to the Agency’s headquarters in Paris.”
An eleven-year-old student who displayed full knowledge of what the course was about, said he was very sad when he first learned about the hunger situation in Nigeria.
“When I ran today, I knew I was running for them. It wasn’t so difficult raising funds because I explained to those I approached what the ‘Race against hunger’ was. Some gave and some others didn’t. But I’m happy I contributed and look forward to doing it again,” he said.
For another twelve year-old student, she was most impacted by the realisation that there was enough food to go round the whole world, but some people had too much and others wasted it, which led to shortages in some places.
 “This shocked me because it’s selfish to keep. If you can help, you should help and not hold back. As a person, it makes me better to know that I ran and the money will be used for such people,” she added.
Head of the School, Serge Leandri said, as one who supports the initiative and the NGO, they had been briefed about the program they are running in Northern Nigeria, “and it made sense that we joined in helping people in the country we are established in.”
Prior to the race, the children had been sensitised last October on what the program was about and the reality of hunger challenging Northern Nigeria. Through video, texts and other presentations they were educated by a team from the NGO on hunger and ways in which it could be eradicated.
“This provoked keen interest and eagerness in the children to run the race and make their own contribution to the course,” Leandri said.
“With the children resident in Abuja and many of them not yet having the opportunity to travel around Nigeria, the sensitisation gave them more awareness of the plight of other children in the country and that Abuja doesn’t reflect the entire country,” said Michelle Grand, a staff of the school.
Happening for the first time, the school hopes to make it an annual event and open it to other international schools.