January 29, 2024 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

The County Government in partnership with Mary’s Meal have committed to work together to provide accurate data through continuous tracking of the young learners in their education centres.

The Deputy Governor Dr John Erus was meeting Mary’s Meal team in his office while commending them for the feeding support programme that helps retain children at their ECDE centres across the county.

He underscored the County Government’s commitment to work closely with the National Government to address issues around ECDE, through proposed county grants and a redefined role for ECDE as part of the development function.

Dr Erus highlighted key issues in an assessment report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on tracking the mobility of children, which is expected to provide more accurate data on trends and movements of people.

The DG called on Mary’s Meal to consider revising the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the County Government, to solidify their commitment to addressing educational challenges.

The Mary’s Meal Country Director, Amina Swedi emphasised the crucial need for accurate data on ECDE learners, indicating Mary’s Meal’s commitment to continue feeding children and promoting the education sector in Turkana.

She acknowledged the county’s support while promising to address the challenges arising from the learner’s inaccurate data from time to time, particularly discrepancies in child numbers across sub-counties.

Swedi urged the Directorate of ECDE to collaborate in mobilising out-of-school children to join schools, emphasising the importance of attracting them beyond mere feeding.

In addition, Mary’s Meals CD expressed intentions to include high-nutrition porridge in the learners’ menu, with plans to consult closely with the County Government on the same.

The Director for ECDE, Ezekiel Imana shed light on factors contributing to the discrepancies in learner numbers, citing, migration, child labor, and insecurity as some of the issues affecting the sector.

This partnership underscores the shared vision of the County Government and Mary’s Meal’s commitment to enhancing education and nutritional support for learners in the county, fostering a partnership approach to overcome existing challenges in ECDE.

Present was the team from Mary’s Meals Kenya.