350,000 children in five counties to benefit from school feeding programme
The Food for Education expands mission is set to benefit 350,000 schoolchildren through its school feeding program in five counties.
The expansion includes Nairobi, Kiambu, Muranga, Mombasa, and Kisumu, marking a substantial increase from the 165,000 children who benefited last year.
The daily feeding program, known as Dishi na County, has entered its second phase in Nairobi County, with 180,000 pupils accessing subsidised food.
The organisation is dedicated to creating healthier and better-nourished children in underserved urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.
Founder Wawira Njiru said that there are now 53 semi-centralised kitchens, 15 decentralised kitchens and 18 centralised kitchens, eight of which were inaugurated this week in Nairobi County by Governor Johnson Sakaja.
“Centralized kitchens, a cornerstone of this expansion, will play a pivotal role in scaling school feeding, enabling the provision of nutritious meals to more students efficiently than ever before,’’ Mr Njiru said.
Also read: High Court declines to stop Sakaja’s ‘Dishi Programme’ for schools
The organisation’s commitment to local economies is reflected in the creation of nearly 3,000 jobs through the program, addressing childhood hunger and fostering employment opportunities in the regions it serves.
Innovative technology takes center stage with the introduction of the Tap2Eat platform, a digital mobile platform utilising cutting-edge FinTech.
The platform allows parents to make micro-payments for subsidised school lunches using mobile money, credited to a virtual wallet linked to an NFC-technology-enabled smart wristband, enabling students to ‘tap to eat’ in under 5 seconds.
Njiru expressed excitement about the positive impact of this innovative approach, stating, “We are excited about the positive impact this innovative approach will have on the well-being and educational journey of the children it serves.”
Since its inception, Food for Education has served 31 million meals, and with expansion into five counties, the organisation aims to serve over 60 million meals this year.