Bourne-based Christian charity Smile International encourages donations to feed African children this Christmas

With Christmas rapidly approaching and cupboards filling up with food for the festive season, a charity is encouraging people to think about hungry and malnourished children in Africa.

For more than 20 years the Bourne-based Christian family charity Smile International has been feeding and educating thousands in Africa.

The aim of the programme is to feed, educate, empower and develop, and each week 5,000 meals a week are provided to malnourished children.

Rev Clive Doubleday from Bourne Baptist Church said: “The difference a meal makes is incredible and when you don’t know when your next meal will be, life is just that much more challenging.”

Smile’s feeding programme encourages children to attend school and learn to read and write to improve their future development and opportunities for employment.

Clive said: “I recall one young lad who Smile started feeding over a decade ago and he looked so malnourished that they didn’t think he was going to survive.

“But after regular meals at school and good quality education, he has now qualified as a mechanic and set up his own garage so he can provide for his family, as well as provide an important service to his local community.”

The challenge Smile is now facing is that the cost of food has sky-rocketed due to the economic global situation. Therefore they need to source their own food more cost-effectively.

Through donations Smile bought a parcel of land where workers can grow their own maize, cabbages, potatoes, to feed the children, but are desperately in need of further donations to purchase seeds, prepare the ground and bring in the harvest.

For more information or to make a donation, visit https://www.smileinternational.org.

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