Nutritious fare for needy, thanks to CDC

1,500 primary pupils benefit from South East CDC scheme 

By Tay Suan Chiang, The Straits Times, 5 May 2012

PART-TIME technician Ng Tick Ling is pleased that his two sons are having nutritious meals - for free - during recess.

His children are among 1,500 needy pupils on the Health Up 4 Kids programme, which was started by the South East Community Development Council (CDC) last month.

The aim is to provide more nutritious fare during recess to beneficiaries from eight primary schools in the South East District.

'I can see that my younger son has gained some weight,' said Mr Ng, 54, whose sons are in MacPherson Primary.

The programme is in response to a 2010 survey of three primary schools which found that a number of children from low-income families were underweight and malnourished.

'Some come from families which do not have enough finances for basic necessities such as food,' said Mr Stanley Fong, general manager of South East CDC.

The $110,000 programme, largely funded by CapitaLand Hope Foundation, ensures that needy students get a regular intake of fruit and nutritional beverages.

The eight schools include MacPherson Primary, Yu Neng Primary and Eunos Primary. Students identified by the schools will also get financial aid from the Education Ministry.

At MacPherson Primary, more than 360 students are on this programme. On Tuesdays, they get red bean buns, and on Wednesdays, they have cereal and milk.

'By giving them food rather than meal vouchers, they are guaranteed that the food for those two days is nutritious,' said Madam Rostinah Mohamad Said, the school's principal.

The students have been on the programme for three weeks. While the school has yet to take their weight, 'from the smiles on their faces, you can see they are happy,' she said.

Other CDCs dish out similar assistance.

Since 2008, 11,000 students in the South West District have benefited from South West CDC's meals bursary programme, which hands out food vouchers.

That same year, North West CDC started the 'I Love Milk' Project with NTUC FairPrice Foundation to promote good health among schoolchildren from low-income families through the regular intake of calcium and protein. To date, more than 130,000 packets of milk have been distributed to about 5,000 students.

North East CDC's School Meal Fund programme, which began in 2009, helps more than 1,800 primary and secondary students annually. They are given $1.50 to $2 a day to buy food from the canteen.