Gandhinagar, 10th December 2022: The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an implementation partner of the Indian Government’s PM Poshan Program, has reached African shores to provide free classroom meals. The Nairobi City County Government in Kenya is prepared to feed its underprivileged school-going children using the knowledge extracted from the Indian NGO.

A high-level Kenyan delegation visited the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Gandhinagar kitchen in Ahmedabad as a first step in putting this program into action.

Deputy Governor of Nairobi City County, H.E. James Njoroge Muchiri, Chief Officer of Education, Gender, and Social Services Ruth Owuor, and Joyce Kinyanjui were among the representatives in the group (Director, Intergovernmental Relations).

The deputy governor of Nairobi City County Government said, “More than 60% of children in Nairobi County live in informal settlements, where their parents can hardly afford one nourishing meal a day, leading to an increase in stunting, wasting, and malnutrition among children.

He added, “For this, both the national government and the Nairobi City County Government have included the school meal program in their manifestos, realizing the many advantages that a wholesome school lunch can provide for both poor children and their parents.”

To reduce the aforementioned challenges and improve enrollment, retention, transition, and performance in basic education, Nairobi County Government is eager to provide a hot lunch for its Early Childhood Development and Education (ECDE) and Primary School-attending students.