Indonesia has started a scheme to provide free school meals. It is called The Free Nutritious Meal Programme. Over 570,000 children and pregnant women received a free breakfast when the idea started on Monday. Cooks in more than 190 kitchens in 20 provinces helped to cook and serve the free food. More kitchens will start as the programme spreads nationwide. The plan was an election promise of President Prabowo Subianto. He hopes to feed a quarter of Indonesians by 2029. This will cost $28 billion. Around 82 million people will get free food by that year. Mr Subianto wants to end malnutrition in Indonesia. Around 21.5 per cent of children younger than five years old suffer from poor nutrition.
President Subianto spoke about his hopes. He said: "Too many of our brothers and sisters are below the poverty line. Too many of our children go to school without breakfast." Many parents were happy. Hana Yohana, the mother of an elementary school child in the capital Jakarta, spoke to reporters. She said: "Thank God. This really helps us. We normally have to work hard preparing food every morning, but now we don't." Government spokesperson Hariqo Wibawa Satria spoke about the free meals. He said: "This is a historic moment for Indonesia. For the first time, our country is conducting a nationwide nutrition program for toddlers, students, and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers."
| 1. | scheme (noun) | a. | Give something that someone needs. |
| 2. | provide | b. | Give food or drinks to someone. |
| 3. | pregnant | c. | A plan or idea to do something. |
| 4. | serve | d. | Feel pain or be in a bad situation. |
| 5. | malnutrition | e. | When someone does not eat enough healthy food, so may be in poor health. |
| 6. | suffer | f. | The food and things the body needs to grow and stay healthy. |
| 7. | nutrition | g. | When a woman has a baby growing inside her. |
| 8. | hope (verb) | h. | Young children who are learning to walk, usually 1–3 years old. |
| 9. | the poverty line | i. | Getting something ready. |
| 10. | normally | j. | Something happening / an event that is very important and may bring great change. |
| 11. | preparing | k. | Want something good to happen. |
| 12. | historic | l. | The level of income (money) where people do not have enough money to buy food and other basic things. |
| 13. | conducting | m. | Doing or organizing something, like a study or research. |
| 14. | toddlers | n. | In most cases; usually. |
Over half a million people in Indonesia got a free lunch on Monday. T / F
Around 190 cooks helped to make the free food. T / F
Indonesia's president hopes to feed a quarter of Indonesians by 2029. T / F
About a fifth of under-fives in Indonesia have a very poor diet. T / F
Indonesia's president said his siblings were often very hungry. T / F
A mother was happy she didn't have to prepare food. T / F
The government said the free meals were a big moment for Indonesia. T / F
The government said teenagers would also get the free meals. T / F