School meals programme a smart investment in Kenya’s economic future

At the heart of Kenya’s education system lies an unsung hero – the school meals programme.

Beyond filling bellies, this hero improves children’s education, health and nutrition, enabling them to learn better, perform better, broadening their educational opportunities and increasing their potential to generate higher incomes in the future.

But millions of children across the country still go to school hungry every day.

Still others – especially girls – do not go to school at all because their families need them to help with farm work or household chores.

School meals can help address many of these challenges. They are an effective way to address malnutrition and provide vulnerable children with access to healthy diets, especially in low-income urban areas and arid and semi-arid regions.

In these areas, school meals are often the only meals children eat in the day.

First, school meal programs can incentivize disadvantaged families to enroll their children and keep them in school.

They free parents from having to worry about lunch budgets and provide a safety net for vulnerable hard-working families struggling to make ends meet every day.

At Java House Foundation and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), we have seen firsthand how our work to promote school meals has improved school enrollment and attendance.

They free parents from having to worry about lunch budgets and provide a safety net for vulnerable hard-working families struggling to make ends meet every day.

School meals also empower girls and discourage parents from marrying off their daughters too early, which can hinder their education and lead to early pregnancy.

For others, a nutritious meal a day at school can save them from being recruited into banditry, gangs and extremism.

In addition to the direct benefits to students, school meal programs have positive impacts on communities and the economy.

By sourcing ingredients locally, these projects support local farmers and stimulate agricultural production.

This not only creates jobs but also strengthens local food systems, improving food security and resilience to climate shocks such as droughts and floods, or economic crises.

There are other spillover effects. Buying locally grown food is good for the environment because it reduces reliance on carbon-intensive imports from abroad.

Investing in school feeding is also smart economic strategy. Research has consistently shown that every dollar spent on school feeding programs delivers significant returns, including improved educational outcomes, increased productivity, and reduced health care costs.

WFP estimates that every dollar invested in Kenya will generate a return of up to nine dollars in homegrown school feeding, making it a highly cost-effective solution.

By nourishing children today, we are investing in a healthier future population.

Despite its undeniable benefits, Kenya’s school meal program faces many challenges, including insufficient funding, logistical constraints, and bureaucratic hurdles.

To realize the full potential of school meals as a tool for social and economic development, increased investment, private sector engagement, innovative approaches and strong political commitment are urgently needed.

School meals are more than just providing food for children; they are an investment in families, communities and, ultimately, Kenya’s future.

As we work to build a better future for the next generation, let us not underestimate the transformative power of a simple meal provided to our children in school.

Lauren is the World Food Programme Country Director in Kenya and Priscilla is the CEO of Java House Group