Samson’s return to school
Hardships in his early life forced Samson Miti to grow up quickly and take on responsibilities that no boy of 16 years old should have to shoulder.
Samson was forced to grow up too quickly when he tragically lost both his parents at a young age and has been living with his grandmother in Katete District in Zambia ever since. As his grandmother has become older and is no longer able to do all the things she used to do Samson, 16, has since had to step up to provide for her. He has previously dropped out of school twice, to allow him to work.
He said: “My grandmother is ageing and each day that comes is unfortunately worse than the one before. We used to rely on small-scale farming, which provided us with food to eat, but my grandmother can no longer cultivate enough to sustain us for a long time.
“One of the reasons I had to drop out of school was because of hunger. Sometimes, we sleep without eating anything and as a result, I could not sit in class and concentrate on lessons. I could not continue coming to school on an empty stomach. I needed to help source food for my grandmother as she is the most important priority, everything else comes second.”
But thanks to Mary's Meals, Samson has been able to return to the classroom to focus on his studies once again. With ambitions of becoming a teacher to help other children like him and support his grandmother, Samson feels positive about his future and the difference a daily meal in school will make to his education.
He said: “The introduction of Mary’s Meals at my school will make my life much easier. The porridge will enable me to attend class every day without having to worry about food and it will help me concentrate on my studies.
“Now I am back in school, I am positive that the porridge will help me to focus on my exams and succeed. Despite the challenges, I am the only one in my family to have reached this far in my education. I value education very much and I regard it as something very important in one’s life.
“Not only will Mary’s Meals porridge help me academically, but it will also help other children like me who come from homes that cannot afford to feed them every day before coming to school.
“My favourite subjects are English and science. When I complete school, I want to become a teacher because I want to break the cycle of poverty in my family and help take care of my grandmother, nieces, nephews and siblings.”