WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by project type | Page 142

Standard Project Report 2016
Story from the Field
Mrs. Chankham is a 36-year-old cook in Namyongkao Primary School, and is a mother of a 10-year-old girl in grade
five and an 8-year-old boy in grade two. She explains her daily tasks as a cook:
"Every day, I prepare lunch for the students and I like doing it, as I love all of them as my own children. Although I
am very busy with my work, I decided that cooking lunch for the students will be my first priority. Cooking for many
children is hard work, but seeing the children enjoying lunch prepared with my own hands makes me happy, and I
forget I am tired. WFP provides an incentive for me, but I do not do this work for that reason, although it is good for
my family to receive a bag of rice. I am proud of what I am doing.
In the village, I am the head of the Lao Women's Union, and I was trained on how to cook and prepare lunch. After
the training, I have tried to spread what I have learnt by teaching other women in the village, so that they can help
prepare lunch for the students since they are also their children.
Preparing lunch can be challenging because there is a shortage of water for cooking and gardening, and we need to
collect water every day.
We are really lucky to receive rice and oil for the school meals programme. Preparing lunch is different from
preparing a mid-morning snack because it needs villagers' contribution in both time and effort. We have started, with
the villagers who have understood the importance of having vegetable gardens, to diversify what children eat every
day, and we will continue mobilising the others who will hopefully join us too!
Thank you to the school meals project for making our children lunch every day!"
Lao People's Democratic Republic (LA)
9
Country Programme - 200242