Food That Changed My Life
By Paul Tergat
15April , 2005
The GuardianMarathon running has taken me a long way from my roots in the small town of Baringo in Kenya's Rift Valley. I grew up knowing what it was like to be poor and hungry. Whenever I come to London or other cities in the developed world to compete in marathons, I enter a different universe where choice, opulence and opportunity characterise people's lives.
It has been fascinating to follow the debate in Britain about school meals. I have listened to the arguments about whether children should be allowed to eat Turkey Twizzlers, or beefburgers and chips. I wish it could be the same the world over. While nutrition is a serious matter for any child, for me and my classmates it was never really a case of what we might choose to eat, but rather whether we would eat at all.
Most kids in Baringo had to help their families earn a living. Education was out of the question or, at best, something only one child in the family could pursue. For the lucky ones like me, who could go to school, the three-mile trek each morning on an empty stomach made it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to concentrate on lessons.
When I was eight, that changed. The UN began distributing food at the schools in the area and a heavy burden was lifted from our shoulders. My friends and I no longer worried about being hungry in class. We ate a simple meal each day and could stay focused during lessons. Those who had dropped out of school came back; others who had never attended were sent by their parents. I often ask myself: without the benefit of school meals, would I have become a literate, healthy, successful long-distance runner?
While British school administrators argue that it is almost impossible for them to provide a healthy, balanced diet for 35p per child each day, the UN's World Food Programme is able to feed a nutritious meal to a hungry child for as little as 10p. I am not suggesting that Britain saves money by calling in the WFP to feed its schoolchildren. I am simply encouraging those captivated by the debate about nutrition in schools to think more about the heart-rending challenges faced by hungry pupils in the developing world.
The WFP wants to dramatically increase the number of schoolchildren it is feeding, from about 15 million each year to 50 million by the end of 2007. This will require a big injection of funds from donor governments, private corporations and the public.
School feeding can dispel hunger, double school attendance and boost educational performance. The highly successful postwar programmes in Europe, the US, Japan and other countries helped transform war-torn nations into strong societies and economies in just one generation. The same can be done for developing countries.
Over 100 million children do not attend school and 300 million are chronically hungry. With a collective commitment to school feeding, the international community could help to reduce these numbers quickly. Doesn't every child deserve the chance to achieve his or her dreams?
· Paul Tergat is the world marathon record holder and an Ambassador Against Hunger for the World Food Programme; he is among the favourites to win the London Marathon on Sunday
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