Nairobi: At Olympic Secondary School, located in Nairobi's informal settlement of Kibera, 17-year-old Mercy Mmboga examines the growth of young spinach leaves, cultivated in rows of recycled plastic pipes in the school's backyard. Twice a week, Mercy and her fellow students harvest these plants to provide nutritious lunches for the school's 1,200 students.
According to EMM, leadership in Africa has significantly advanced, with countries like Kenya, Rwanda, and Benin making notable progress in school meal programs. Carmen Burbano, the World Food Programme's School Meals Director, highlighted the importance of political will and established policies in promoting these initiatives. In nations such as Burkina Faso, Lesotho, and Rwanda, school meal programs are now primarily funded through national budgets. Meanwhile, countries like Ethiopia and Burundi have significantly increased their investments in school meals since 2022.
Edna Kalaluka, Head of School Feeding at WFP's Eastern and Southern Africa regional office, described government ownership of these programs as a success story, emphasizing the sustainability it promotes. In Kenya, the government is not only scaling up school meals but also integrating environmentally-friendly practices like hydroponics and reinforcing local food systems. The WFP supports these efforts, with food being grown at schools or sourced from local farmers. This approach has shown significant economic returns, with Eastern Africa alone sourcing over 32,000 metric tons of food from more than 18,000 farmers last year, injecting nearly US$16 million into local economies.
The WFP-supported hydroponics initiative at Olympic School allows students to grow vegetables faster than traditional agriculture methods, using less water—a crucial factor in drought-prone Kenya. Mercy and her peers benefit from the nutrients these greens provide, enhancing their ability to concentrate in class.
Elsewhere in Africa, locally sourced school meals are also gaining popularity. In Rwanda, all 4.5 million young students receive school meals, supported by local farmers like Clementine Mukandayisenga. Similarly, in Burundi, locally sourced school meals have increased farmers' incomes by 50 percent in 2024 and created jobs in numerous cooperatives.
In Benin, the government's ownership of the school meals program, with ingredients supplied by area growers, has positively impacted students like nine-year-old Schékina Ahanhoto. In southern Malawi, headmaster Felix Malinda noted an increase in school enrollment due to the farmer-supplied meals.
Despite these advances, challenges remain in ensuring that African students receive the meals they need. Conflicts and funding cuts in some regions have forced reductions in coverage. In Sudan, an ongoing civil war has disrupted food supply chains and led to school closures. However, over half-a-million students still benefited from locally procured school meals last year. In Al Hafayer, despite school closures, children continue to receive WFP's take-home rations, with volunteer teachers like Hassan and Hanaa dedicated to educating the next generation.
Contributions to this story were made by Lisa Murray, Bismarck Sossa, Giulio dAdamo, and Abubakar Garelnabei. WFP's school feeding programs in Africa receive support from various donors, including the African Development Bank, Burundi, Education Cannot Wait, France, Japan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea, Share the Meal, and the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office.