The school lunch program started in 2008 after teachers and guardians identified hunger as the primary problem affecting students’ attendance and academic performance.
- The program ensures that each child has one nutritious meal a day.
- Currently, the lunch program feeds 3,400 students a day in 19 primary schools.
- Umoja Partnership provides the maize and beans for the lunch. The students’ guardians and the schools provide supplementary vegetables, cooking supplies, storage and kitchen facilities, and cook staff.
- $25 feeds a child for an entire school year. Umoja Partnership covers approximately 80% of that cost, and the local Kenyan community covers the remainder.
- Weekend and evening food is provided to over 100 households in which children live alone without any adult present.
- Schools have developed agricultural and livestock projects, which generate financial support for the school lunch program. These projects help sustain the school lunch program and promote self-sufficiency at the local level.