Highlighted below are key program activities conducted, achievements registered, challenges, recommendations and future plans.

Major activities that have been implemented in the reporting period, include the following:  early childhood and primary education, school feeding.

Key Program outputs

• Improved access to early childhood education for orphans and vulnerable children
• Improved nutrition amongst children attending early childhood education
• Improved capacity and collaboration between Caregivers, Village Development Committees (VDCs), Parents and Teachers’ Association (PTA) as well as Mother Groups

Implementation areas

In this reporting period, JCT has implemented interventions in the following areas:

• Chitukula, Kabudula and M’bang’ombe in Lilongwe district

Program partners/stakeholders
The table below illustrates key program partners/stakeholders and further depicts their roles and responsibilities

Implementing partner/Stakeholder	Role
Village Development Committee (VDC)	Facilitate formulation of Community Early Childhood committees
Parents and Teachers Association (PTA)	Planning, coordinating, implementing, monitoring and evaluating education standards at the local institutional level
Mother group	Looking at the welfare of the children and providing mentorship to the learners
Traditional leaders (Chiefs	Spearheading and facilitating formulation of by-laws aimed at forcing children to go to school
Community members	Help in fetching firewood for use in feeding programs Encouraging children to register in early childhood learning

Summary of programs/activities implemented during January – April

School feeding program

JCT sustained feeding program in this reporting quarter. 100 bags of flour were distributed to Community Based Care Centers (CBCCSs) in Lilongwe district. This flour was used prepare porridge for learners in selected nursery schools, as a way of improving their nutrition/health standards and motivate them to attend and enrol.

Feeding Program

JCT received funding from JCTUK to procure food items and it has managed to purchase 120 bags of soya flour to feed 1400 children this first quarter of 2016. The reduction has been made due to hike of commodities and transportation because of inflation which Malawi is experiencing; for example, one bag of 50kg soya flour which was costing us MK 6000 now the same bag is costing us MK 10,000.00 (10.05 pounds). Despite this, the foundation has managed to feed 1400 children from the following selected centers who did not have their share last quarter of 2015 like; Khuzumba CBCC, Namkumba CBCC, Kholongo CBCC and Msankhanya CBCC.

JCT is working hard to sensitise the community to have communal gardens, where they can grow soya beans and maize seeds in order for them to have food to assist JCT to feed the children where the need arise.

The school feeding program and other activities in selected CBCC in Lilongwe

Children are receiving porridge at break time after learning at Namkumba

These are some of activities done by the children. Children are playing on the seesaw and the swing on locally made

Children are dancing as an activity and they are learning physical education