The problem: Hunger and poverty keep children out of school and prevent them from learning.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of out-of-school children in the world, with an estimated 98 million children, adolescents, and youths missing out on education—22 times the rate of Europe and Northern Africa, and 139 times that of Oceania [1]. This staggering education gap limits life opportunities, productivity, and long-term human development, and it carries significant social and economic costs at both individual and societal levels [2].
At the same time, Sub-Saharan Africa also experiences the highest levels of hunger and food insecurity globally, with approximately 1 in 5 people affected [3].
For children, the consequences are severe: micronutrient deficiencies impair cognitive function, chronic lack of macronutrients such as proteins and carbohydrates stunts brain development, and persistent hunger makes it harder for children to focus or engage in learning [4] [5]. Simply put, when children are hungry, they cannot learn.
For many families, meeting basic needs—food, education, healthcare—is out of reach. Children are often forced to drop out of school due to hunger, household responsibilities, or the need to contribute to family income. These overlapping challenges of food insecurity, poverty, and poor education outcomes form a vicious cycle that traps generations in disadvantage [6].
Research shows that school feeding programs are one of the most effective ways to break this cycle, improving school participation and learning outcomes while boosting local economies. Yet the scale and quality of these programs remain limited in much of Sub-Saharan Africa, with many failing to meet children’s full nutritional needs or engage local food systems meaningfully [7].
The solution: A sustainable model for daily nutritious school meals
Food4Education (F4E) tackles hunger and low school attendance with a proven, scalable school feeding model. Every day, over 500,000 primary school children across Kenya receive hot, nutritious meals from F4E, helping them stay in school, concentrate in class, and achieve better educational outcomes.
Their meals are designed to meet the minimum dietary diversity requirements for healthy child development. A study conducted by F4E in Ruiru showed that 100% of children eating F4E meals met these nutritional benchmarks, helping to reduce short-term hunger and support cognitive function.. This aligns with global evidence that school meals improve concentration, memory, and learning performance, especially for children from food-insecure households.
The impact is visible: in areas where F4E operates, school enrollment has increased significantly—36.5% in Kiambu, 22.3% in Nairobi, 15.8% in Kisumu, and 11.8% in Mombasa—and internal monitoring shows an 8–10% increase in attendance for children who receive meals. These figures are consistent with rigorous global studies confirming that school feeding programs boost attendance and learning in low-income settings.
How Food4Education works
What makes Food4Education unique is its holistic, systems-level approach. The organization sources food from local smallholder farmers and aggregators, creating economic opportunities across the value chain. Over 4,000 local workers are employed in F4E’s 29 urban central kitchens and 103 rural (semi-centralized or decentralized) kitchens, preparing and delivering meals using efficient, tech-enabled logistics. This inclusive employment strategy stimulates local economies and builds community ownership.
To keep costs low and quality high, F4E continues to innovate across its operations—from introducing hermetic bags to reduce post-harvest losses to optimizing last-mile delivery using Tap2Eat technology. As the program grows, F4E remains committed to co-designing feeding programs with governments, aligning with their goal of supporting national education and nutrition systems at scale. F4E has expanded rapidly since 2012 and strives to serve 1 million meals every day by 2027.
Food4Education’s model shows how school feeding—when executed with precision, efficiency, and community involvement—can transform learning environments, combat child hunger, and create lasting social and economic returns.
