The Afternoon Meal Program at Nkotobona High School, located at Sekwataleng (Brooklyn) Village, Acornhoek, in Mpumalanga Province runs from Monday to Saturday including school holidays. The school is classified as Quintile 2, serving a community with economic disadvantages.
Nkotobona High School has a total population of 300 learners served by 15 educators, making a student-teacher ratio of 20:1. To help improve their matric results (76% in 2023), the school is conducting afternoon classes until 17:00, from Monday to Saturday, for learners in grades 11 and 12. Our public schools offer learners one meal at 09:30 in the morning, for some this is their only meal for the day and constructive learning in the afternoon is negatively affected by this lack of sufficient nourishment.
A Spring of Hope has been contributing towards a conducive learning environment at Nkotobona High School since 2016 the investment in infrastructure at the school includes a thriving borehole, Enviro-Loo and permaculture garden.
The Afternoon Meal Program is aimed at providing a second meal for 185 learners in grades 11 and 12 who are attending extra classes to improve their grades. This initiative started off with the renovation of the existing school kitchen to a safer and convenient place to prepare the meals timeously. The permaculture garden has also been extended into a Food Forest incorporating organic vegetables, fruit and indigenous trees. Now, not only are learners guaranteed fresh organic vegetables with their afternoon meal, the Food Forest is fast becoming an attraction for experiential learning amongst students and educators alike. This initiative has also created volunteer employment opportunities for three community members whose children are learners at the school.