Jakarta –
Headmaster in everything English reported that the children were starving to the point of chewing gum. Quite a few of them choose to go to the playground at lunchtime because they can’t afford to buy food.
Many schools in the UK have seen excruciating levels of starving children. A school in Lewisham, south-east London, reported that a child pretended to eat from an empty lunchbox because he didn’t want his friends to know there was no food in his house.
“We hear of children who are so hungry that they are eating gum at school. The children have walked in and have not eaten anything since lunch the day before. The government has to do something,” said Naomi Duncan, Chief Executive Chefs in Schools, quoted by The GuardianMonday (26/9/2022).
ANNOUNCEMENT
Swipe to resume content
–
Of English, students are entitled to free school meals for those whose parents earn less than £ 7,400 or IDR 120.78 million (exchange rate of IDR 16,322) per year. According to the charity Child Poverty Action Group, there are still 800,000 poor children who are not on the list.
A community group that delivers emergency food packages, Oxford Mutual Aid, said it had to reduce delivery days because hundreds of volunteers were unable to cope with the growing demand for help.
“We are struggling to keep up with the demand. Every day I hear about the level of distress people are experiencing. Every day I talk to families who are terrified because they don’t know where to go,” said coordinator Muireann Meehan Speed.
Launch Foods founder Craig Johnson says people are talking about a crisis coming. The Glasgow charity offers free lunches to 300 schoolchildren every day.
(help / ara)
–
