School Feeding Program

Education Program

School Feeding Programs in Kenya are predominantly limited to Arid and Semi-arid areas. This has been an emergency measure taken to mitigate against severe drought often experienced in these areas.

However, these programs are often overlooked in food-production regions such as Kakamega County, where poverty remains a significant issue for many families who struggle to provide enough food for their children.

Following discussions held between us, Parents, teachers’ association (PTA) and Board of Directors of Kakamega Township Primary School, it was reported that many students hail from poor backgrounds and would survive on one meal a day and sometimes none. This drastically affected the school’s performance which in turn affected enrollment.

As a result, we initiated a School Feeding programe with the aim of increasing student enrollment, retention and improving cognitive functions which ultimately lead to improved performance.

Despite being located in a food-production area, Kakamega Township Primary School has recognized the importance of addressing poverty and hunger among its students. The school feeding program is a step towards ensuring that every child has access to the nourishment they need to thrive academically and beyond. The school feeding program has witnessed huge strides since its inception. They are:

Increase in student enrollment. The school has recorded a tremendous increase in enrollment from 484 pupils in January 2019 to 750 students by the end of December 2022.
The School Feeding Program has led to an increase of attendance especially for the girl child.
The SFP has reduced absenteeism in school with class teachers reporting minimal absent students when taking daily attendance records.
The academic performance of the school has improved.
It has offered a reprieve for parents as they are assured that their children can at least get one meal in the day.

The major challenges experienced with this program include:

Funds that will ensure the continuity of the school feeding program.
There is a need to use technology in data collection methods that will ensure we have accurate records of the number of students fed on a daily basis.
Employing clean energy sources in the school’s kitchen that will ensure quality food and reduce our carbon footprint.

We recognize that we cannot address all the challenges on our own.

We call upon like-minded individuals, organizations and governments to support our effort in promoting quality education through school feeding program.