The Food4Education initiative has announced the expansion of its school feeding program into five counties in Kenya, marking a significant milestone in its mission to combat childhood hunger and malnutrition. The initiative, which kicked off the new school term this week, is now set to reach 350,000 children daily, doubling its impact from the previous year.

Wawira Njiru, Founder and Executive Director of Food for Education, expressed her enthusiasm about the expansion, stating, “This expansion is a game-changer for us. We are now able to reach even more children with nutritious meals, making a tangible difference in their lives.”

The organization’s innovative approach includes the operation of 53 semi-centralized kitchens, 15 decentralized kitchens, and 18 centralized kitchens, with eight new centralized kitchens launched in Nairobi County this week as part of Governor Johnson Sakaja’s ‘Dishi Na County’ program. Njiru emphasized the importance of these centralized kitchens, noting, “Centralized kitchens will play a pivotal role in scaling school feeding, enabling the provision of nutritious meals to more students efficiently than ever before.”

Moreover, the initiative has created nearly 3,000 jobs, contributing to local employment and economic development. Njiru highlighted the impact on the community, saying, “We are proud to have created thousands of jobs, providing opportunities for individuals to support their families and contribute to the well-being of their communities.”

In addition to the expansion, Food for Education introduced the Tap2Eat digital mobile platform, which allows parents to make micro-payments for subsidized school lunches using mobile money. Njiru explained, “The Tap2Eat platform ensures a quick and easy way for students to access meals, contributing to the overall success of Food for Education’s mission.”

This initiative has already served 31 million meals since its inception and is now on track to serve over 60 million meals this year, demonstrating its commitment to eradicating childhood hunger and malnutrition in Kenya.