The Coalition for the Protection of Children estimates that one out of every five black children in Bermuda is living well below the poverty line and in an effort to alleviate the situation, public school teachers have taken it upon themselves to feed and clothe pupils from disadvantaged families.

Chairman of the Coalition for the Protection of Children Sheelagh Cooper echoed comments made on the radio by the former teacher Michael Charles on Monday.

Mr. Charles said this unofficial nurturing from teachers is not widely broadcast, but is probably going on in most of the Island?s public schools.

In his role as General Secretary of the Bermuda Union of Teachers, Mr. Charles has heard of many examples of teachers who are providing for those students who otherwise would go without.

?I was given an example of a school in the West End but I?m sure there are other schools across the Island where the same thing is happening,? he said.

?Because of our housing crisis there are children turning up to school who have been sleeping in tents or in cars.

?Teachers are just doing what they can when they see a need to try and provide for that need. They see some kids coming to school each day with the same clothes and it becomes obvious.?

Mr. Charles had first-hand experience of the same thing happening during his time as a teacher. He said: ?There was a family that we just took care of. We had breakfast with them, and lunch, and provided them with clothes.

?I?m sure that in most of the public schools on this Island, it is something that is being done on a daily basis.

?It?s a pity we can?t provide meals for all the children because that would help those who don?t have the money and also help those who do but are not eating healthily.?

Providing school dinners for all children would also avoid any stigma of free food being given only to those who cannot afford to pay, according in Mr. Charles, who said some children are left to fend for themselves if their parents or single parent have to leave home early in the morning for work.

He added that children coming to school poorly fed are less able to concentrate on their school work, or because of their background have other distractions to deal with and often do not achieve as they should.

Teachers take it upon themselves to help the children they see struggling, those that come to school day after day in the same clothes, appear hungry and have no transport to or from the school.

In some instances the teachers will keep spare school uniforms in class to discreetly give to the less well off children.

?It is human nature for the teachers to come out and do what they can to help,? said Mr. Charles, who revealed that since he aired his concerns to the media on Monday there had been at least one call from a member of the public offering to help a poor child.

Mrs. Cooper said yesterday that there was a programme on the Island which supplied breakfast and school lunches to public schools, but due to lack of funding last year, ?Breakfast for every child? was cancelled.

She said it would only take about $20,000 and some volunteers to get the programme operational again.

?This situation has reached a critical point now and not even teachers can keep up,? she said.

?People have been living in denial about this for such a long time, but between 12 and 15 percent of households in Bermuda live below the poverty line and there is a growing number of children who are homeless.

?I don?t mean living on the street, but living from house to house between relatives because they don?t have a home of their own and some are even living in tents now.?

Mrs. Cooper said the biggest hurdle in overcoming these issues was pride.

?We don?t want to acknowledge that there are people living among us who are struggling and hurting,? she said.

?These children still bring their lunch boxes to school, even though they?re empty.?