Here in UK we have lots of different foods. Do you eat same for breakfast, lunch and dinner? What did you have for breakfast? Have you brought lunch with you?Do you know what you are going to have to eat this lunch time / when you go home tonight? Can you guess?
Before where is Zambia? Is Africa a country? Has anyone been to Africa? What is the weather like there? What do you think they have for breakfast there?
In Zambia lots of people have nshima (pronounced un- shee-mah - get pupils to try saying it) for most of their meals. It’s a sticky, smooth porridge made not with oats but maize. It fills you up, but does not have a lot of goodness in it. So, you might have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you are really poor you might only have one meal in the day. How would you feel if you only ate one meal a day? What might you not be able to do?
All sorts of other plants can grow in Zambia. People love to eat green spinach type leaves if they can, tomatoes and fruit, but sometimes have problems getting hold of them all year round. If they can afford it, they might go to a market like this to buy things they can’t grow.
But most people in the villages in Zambia grow what they eat. It’s hard work getting the land ready with these heavy hoes. (What did we say the weather is like in Zambia?) Children join in to help. They might help hoe if they are bigger or help carrying water to water the plants. This can be difficult, as there may not be a tap or pump to get water from in the village. People often have to walk a long way to get water - and it’s heavy! Some years it doesn’t rain much at all and there is not much water anywhere. Some children can’t go to school ,because they have to spend so long doing jobs like helping with the water.
But things can improve. Farmers are learning ways of saving water, planting different types of crops so that there can be something fresh to eat all year round. What animal is this? What food can you get from a goat? What can you get from a chicken? If people can breed goats or chickens they can have milk, eggs, meat and maybe sell kid goats or chickens to help buy clothes and other food for the family that they can’t grow.
This little boy is called Richard and he is 4 years old. He used to be very ill all the time and could not get strong because he did not have different types of food to eat. Now his family keep goats and chickens and this is helping him to be better as he eats more protein and has a more varied diet. His family can sell eggs and milk to help get other types of food that they can’t grow.