The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) managers claim they have begun thorough background investigations to determine the origin of a viral video showing a number of schoolchildren being fed what looks to be an unappetizing meal.
The GSFP claims that it has also instructed each of its 16 Regional Coordinators to conduct their own independent investigations into the situation.
This week, the video has been making the rounds on social media. Despite the setting appearing to be outside of Ghana, the GSFP claims it still wants to dispel any misconceptions about the video’s origin and why the depressing scene it ends with might not be connected to the school feeding program in Ghana.
The GSFP said in a statement that its Head of Public Relations, Siiba Alfa, had properly brought the viral video to the organization’s attention.
“In the aforementioned video, a faceless woman who appears to be a caterer is seen serving some schoolchildren what appears to be a hot liquid substance that is thought to be hot soup in their bowls, which is likely to be “ebba” (a mixture of gari and hot water), a typical delicacy in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.
“Our initial examination of the footage, focusing on the students and their outfits, was unable to determine their genuine origin.
“Unfortunately, other than her feet, the alleged caterer’s face was not seen in the footage. Another man, whose face was missing but whose legs were crossed, was taken into custody and is thought to be a teacher or the school’s headteacher.
This makes it challenging for management to conclude, concur, or accept that the said caterer in the trending video is one of our skilled and knowledgeable caterers.
The Ghana School Feeding Program’s management is nearly certain that the viral video is not from one of the Ghanaian schools we support, especially in light of the said caterer used to serve the purported soup.
Everywhere in Ghana, “Ghana School Feeding” caterers have undergone the necessary basic nutrition and innovation training, and they are strictly instructed to serve meals in ice chests in order to keep it warm at all times.
We also think that by this time, the head teachers and SHEP Coordinators in the schools, who work closely with the Ghana School Feeding Programme to taste and inspect each meal that is prepared by our caterers every day, would have formally reported the incident to our regional or national secretariat if it had happened in Ghana.
“Despite this, Management has started thorough background investigations to determine the real origin or cause of that viral video. Additionally, we have instructed the 16 regional coordinators for the Ghana School Feeding Program to conduct their own independent investigations into the situation.
“Management would also like to make a public appeal to anyone with information or proof that could point to the actual school or the caterer, asking them not to hold off on helping the Secretariat.
“We ask our stakeholders to maintain their composure and be reassured that every effort is being made to investigate the situation for a prompt resolution,” the statement reads.