Nourishing Students
We feed school children!
The school lunch program at Umoja began in 2008 after teachers and guardians identified hunger as a barrier to student attendance and academic performance in school. This program ensures that each child has one nutritious meal a day.
Currently, the program feeds 4,964 elementary-aged and junior high school students in 21 primary schools. Umoja Partnership provides the maize and beans for lunch, and the student’s guardians and the school provide supplementary vegetables, cooking supplies, storage, kitchen supplies, and cooks.
$50 feed a child school lunch for an entire year. Umoja covers approximately 80% of that cost, and the local Kenyan community covers the remainder.
Weekend and evening food support is provided to 155 child-headed households (where children live alone without an 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.
“I am a widow and I have five orphans I take care of. Many organizations have come to our area promising to help our children with food support. Some stayed for one month. Others for two months. Others three months. Up to a year. They all have failed to keep their promises. Umoja came and has stayed with us always. While my children are at school where they also get food for lunch, I can work more time on other people’s farms trying to save some little money to buy their dinner.”
- Mama Doris
Former student, graduate of Kisii University with a Bachelor of Computer Science and Technology