Children's Voices Driving Change Through the Enough Campaign

By Leana Padera (Communications Graduate Intern)

Gweru, Zimbabwe – Every child deserves enough nutritious food to learn, grow, and thrive. Through World Vision’s Enough Campaign, a campaign calling for collective action to end child hunger and malnutrition, children are not only raising awareness about child hunger and malnutrition but also using their voices to influence solutions to improve school meals and nutrition across the country.

The campaign has created a platform where children can openly share their experiences and advocate for change. Through School Meals Dialogues held in communities across Zimbabwe, children engaged with parents, teachers, community leaders, and other stakeholders to discuss the challenges affecting school feeding programs and identify practical solutions.

Recently, child representatives from World Vision Zimbabwe Area Development Programmes gathered to present the findings from these dialogues. Through child-led presentations and discussions, they shared the concerns, priorities, and recommendations raised by children in their respective communities, demonstrating that children are not only beneficiaries of development programs but also active agents of change.

Speaking during her presentation, Tadiwanashe, a Child Nutrition Champion, highlighted the direct link between nutrition and education.

"One of the challenges we are facing is the lack of access to enough nutritious food in schools. I believe nutrition fuels our learning, and we are seeking more support from the Government," she said.

Another child leader and nutrition champion, Donovan, shared one of the concerns consistently raised by learners during the dialogues.

"When I was doing my engagements, many children said there is a need to improve the meals because it becomes tiring eating the same food every day," he explained.

Tinashe, a Child Leader, called for greater investment in school feeding programmes to ensure that every learner has access to healthy and balanced meals.

"I encourage the Government to increase funding for school feeding programmes so that schools can provide more nutritious and diverse meals. A healthy meal helps children concentrate in class, learn better, and reach their full potential," he said.

Tinashe also urged the Government and education stakeholders to invest in sustainable solutions that strengthen school feeding programmes.

"Schools should be supported to establish and maintain nutrition gardens by providing seeds, farming tools, and irrigation equipment."

"We also need reliable access to clean water in schools so that meals can be prepared safely, nutrition gardens can thrive, and good hygiene can be maintained," he added.

Adding her voice to the discussion, Tinaye, a child representative in the Zimbabwe Junior Parliament acknowledged the progress that has already been made while encouraging continued investment in school feeding programmes.

"We appreciate the Government for making sure that many learners receive at least one meal at school each day. That meal makes a difference because it helps us learn and stay in school. However, there is still room for improvement. One meal is not always enough for growing children, and we hope more can be done to provide nutritious and balanced meals that meet our needs," she said.

Tinaye added that strengthening school feeding programs and supporting schools with sustainable initiatives, such as nutrition gardens, would help ensure children have consistent access to fresh and nutritious food.

The School Meals Dialogues demonstrated the power of children's voices in shaping solutions to the challenges they face every day. Their recommendations reflected the aspirations of children from communities across Zimbabwe and highlighted practical actions that can strengthen school feeding programs, improve nutrition, and create healthier learning environments.

Through the Enough Campaign, World Vision Zimbabwe continues to amplify children's voices and ensure they are included in conversations that shape policies and programs affecting their lives. By listening to children and acting on their recommendations, communities and decision-makers can take meaningful steps towards ending child hunger and malnutrition.