Programmes
School meals pprogram
The SMP in Kenya was initiated in 1980 in response to a severe drought that led to significant school dropouts. Initially supported by the UN- World Food Programme (WFP), the programme started with 240,000 children. By the 1990s, the programme expanded, with the Kenyan Government funding 50% of transportation and logistics costs. Following the introduction of free primary education in 2003, the number of participating children surged, and by 2018, the Kenyan Government fully took over the programme from the UN- WFP. As of 2024, the programme covers 2.6 million learners in 8,185 schools, including special needs and refugee schools. It operates through a multi-sectoral approach involving various ministries, county governments, and non-state actors. The programme has significantly improved school attendance, retention, and completion rates, particularly in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), pockets of poverty, and urban informal settlements.
Clean Cooking Energy for Sustainable School Feeding in Kenya
The Universal Climate Friendly School Meals Programme seek to move from the current 2.6 million learners to 10 million learners by 2030 through a low carbon climate resilient pathway. It aims to provide climate-friendly clean cooking solutions in Kenyan schools, aligning with the National School Nutrition and Meals Strategy and the Global School Meals Coalition's universal feeding goals. The government's substantial increase in budget from USD 15 million (KES 2.5 billion) to USD 40 million (KES. 5.0 billion) underscores the program’s importance and Kenya's ambition to cater to 4 million learners.3 The initiative is set to position the education sector as a key contributer to the green growth agenda (low carbon climate resilient pathway) through substantially reducing reliance on wood biomass for cooking in schools and reducing carbon emissions from schools thus contributing to the realization of Kenya's Climate Mitigation Goals such as the NDCs under the UNFCCC Convention and the Paris Agreement of 2015. Globally, it aligns with the goals of restoring and improving school meal programs post-pandemic, reaching vulnerable populations, and enhancing the quality and efficiency of school meals for a healthier and sustainable food environment.
IMPRESED
(INTEGRATED MECHANISM FOR POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT) A program using the NIWFESS framework with multi-lateral partnerships to create community programs with School support and coordination to increase opportunities for livelihood to bring back out of school children and increase enrollment, retainment, transition and completion of education.
niwfess
(Integrated WASH, Food, Energy Sustainable Development Solution) Pilot as a strategy for addressing systemic barriers to education in remote regions is almost complete and is currently undergoing transition.
Operation come back to school
A new programme designed to get 250,000 out-of-school children back into school by the end of 2023 is being launched by the NACONEK and UNICEF, in partnership with Educate A Child, a programme of the Education Above All Foundation (EAA), with support from Qatar Fund for Development. Called ‘Operation Come to School, Phase Two’, the initiative is targeting children aged 6 to 13 years in 16 counties where children are most at risk of dropping out of class.