The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) extends its partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, thanks to a historic public sector collaboration which provides the Danish Foreign Ministry and the Grundfos Foundation, to extend the local school meal program in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
This partnership is based on the main WFP work on school meals in the world to co-create a program to offer safe, nutritious and local school meals, while strengthening the climate resilience of small farmers and promoting clean cooking solutions in schools. The partnership includes a strong emphasis on research and learning, taking advantage of the expertise of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Grundfos Foundation.
Sencing from January 2025 for three years, the initiative was supported by 40 million Historical USD of co -financing of the Danish government and the two foundations – the first of its kind to WFP.
Over the next three years, the initiative will reach 321,400 students in 375 schools in East Africa with nutritious meals. Around these schools, the partnership will create a support ecosystem which ensures long -term sustainability of the initiative. This includes the creation of 1,300 school gardens, the training of 61,500 small farmers in climate food production and the equipment of the fuel fuel cooking infrastructure schools.
The partnership is based on an initial phase which took place from November 2022 to December 2024 in Rwanda and Uganda with a first investment of 4.1 million USD from the Novo Nordisk F
The local school meal program is a flagship PAM initiative which takes up some of the most urgent challenges facing people and the planet: food insecurity and sustainable agricultural practices. The connection of school meal programs to local agriculture creates stable markets for small operators, helps promote job creation – especially for women – and supports transition to smart agricultural techniques.
It also supports the national program for the development of local governments, lining up with a wider dynamic around school meals in the region and around the world through the coalition of school meals, which WFP is the secretariat. In addition, water, sanitation and hygiene installations (Wash) will be built or rehabilitated, cooks and school staff will receive training and public information campaigns will inform and educate local communities. Government staff will also be trained to strengthen national capacity.
This initiative underlines the commitment of PAM and its partners to promote resilient food systems and to ensure that school meals offer not only essential nutrition but also long -term economic and environmental advantages. By connecting the purchase of school meals to local agriculture, the program improves food security, supports small farmers and strengthens local savings.