W4: My Hero Fights Hunger--Miss Lani Fights Hunger with Every Lesson

In the small mountain village, nestled amongst misty hills and crooked paths, hunger doesn't always mean empty bellies. Here, children laugh and play, yet many are not getting the nutrition needed for their growing bodies. This is where Miss Lani comes in. Miss Lani, a quiet, but determined former doctor is truly an everyday hero. 

When her work in the city was complete, Miss Lani returned to her childhood village only to discover that many of the students were suffering from hidden hunger a form of malnutrition in which foods fill stomachs, but do not contain the vitamins and minerals to sustain healthy growth. The issue was not about how much food was consumed, but rather what kind of food they were eating. 

There were lots of starchy meals: rice, instant noodles, or fried snacks. Fruits and vegetables, protein and iron rich foods were seldom to be found in homes or lunch boxes. Miss Lani recognized a change had to happen.

A Class Beyond Books

Miss Lani held the title of the only science teacher in the village school, but she had an agenda bigger than just the classroom. She was gradually weaving nutrition education into every subject food pyramid in mathematics, digestive systems in biology, and even food stories in language class. Gradually, students were starting to ask more questions beyond grades, about their own bodies and what they were eating.

And then came her most audacious idea: a school lunch garden.

By repurposing an unused stretch of land behind the school, she was now teaching students to grow spinach, sweet potatoes, long beans, and tomatoes. Tools were borrowed, seeds were gifted, and watering was done from collected rainwater. Every week a different group of students came each week after school to take their turn gardening.

The kids were getting not only a biology lesson with their hands in the dirt, but they were bringing vegetables home. Some even taught their families how to cook what they grew.

Hungry for Change

But Miss Lani's path was not without challenges. Many parents were initially resistant. "My kids are not starving, so why bother?" some said. Others believed vegetables were only for the unwell, and that meat was too expensive to consider. 

There were also issues of poverty. Some families could only afford to prepare instant foods. Others did not have stoves or clean water to prepare food properly. But Miss Lani never blamed them, she just listened, learned and slowly asked them to try small, affordable changes. 

She offered weekend cooking sessions at the school in which the parents and children cooked together. They prepared healthy, simple meals using local inexpensive ingredients: mung bean soup, egg vegetable stir fry, banana leaf wraps filled with sweet potato and peanuts. She even made a visual cookbook with drawings and step by step pictures so that everyone - even those who could not read - could follow what to prepare.

Hope That Grows

Today, behind the school, the garden is alive with activity! The children are no longer eating chips alone; they think about fiber and vitamins and even how to make compost. School canteen offers two vegetable options with every meal. And Miss Lani? She is up-skilling five older students to “Junior Nutrition Ambassadors” and now they even visit local schools to share their learning.

Miss Lani’s story is a short, persistent one. She didn’t require a super-hero cape, just a white board, a little packet of seeds and belief that knowledge helps make stronger bodies.

In Miss Lani's own voice:

“You don’t have to be wealthy to eat well, you just have to share knowledge of how to grow, share and cook food with love.”

🌟 Final Message

Miss Lani demonstrates us that hunger is not only about the food, but also about education, dignity and community. If every school had a garden and every teacher shared their passion, we could take one more step in the world towards ending hunger.