Across Kenya, 14% of people are experiencing acute food insecurity caused by erratic rainfall, low crop yields, and the COVID pandemic. Malnutrition can lead to stunted growth, slowed cognitive and emotional development, and an increased risk for other diseases that affect long-term health and well-being. Prior to pandemic-related school closures in 2020, 90% of teachers who are part of the Flying Kites Network listed “lack of food” as the number one barrier to learning, noting that hungry students struggled to concentrate and skipped school to find cash labor for food.  Without access to food at school, hungry students cannot learn. 

One Day’s Wages partnered with Flying Kites to provide daily, nutritious meals for Kenyan students by constructing kitchens at Tulaga Primary School and Nyakio Primary School.  The kitchens are well ventilated and equipped with energy-efficient stoves to minimize health and environment risks from using firewood for cooking.  Across both schools 1,259 students are now able to receive a daily meal of uji – a warm, nutrient-rich porridge.  As a result, both schools boast average attendance rates of 98%, and students are achieving higher than average scores on their standardized exams!

Meet Consolata

Consolata is a grandmother and guardian of four children. After her daughter passed away and left her to care for her four children, Consolata had to pull the children out of school because she could not afford their school fees. However, when she learned that her grandchildren’s school would begin serving warm meals at school, Consolata brought the children back to school.

It’s been challenging. The children have been out of school for so long, and Consolata still struggles to provide her grandchildren with what they need to meet their basic needs. But now, for the first time, she knows her grandchildren will have one nutritious meal a day at school.