By Eddah Waithaka
Wawira Njiru still remembers the day she started feeding 25 children in Ruiru. Fourteen years later, her organisation Food 4 Education now serves 600,000 children daily across 13 counties and she’s not stopping until millions more have access to nutritious school meals.
The founder and CEO spoke passionately at the inaugural 6,685 Golf Tournament, an event designed to raise funds to feed exactly 6,685 children for an entire school year.
The tournament brought together philanthropists, corporate partners, and passionate golfers united by a common goal: ensuring no child learns on an empty stomach.
“Each child needs 6,685 shillings to feed them for an entire year,” Njiru explained, her enthusiasm undimmed by the scale of the challenge.
“When I quantify it for all 10 million children in Kenya who need school meals, everyone says ‘wow, what a big number.’ But if you think about what you as an individual can contribute 6,685 shillings changes one child’s life. That’s what we’re encouraging Kenyans to think about.”
The gap remains staggering. An estimated 60% of Kenya’s 10 million school children have no guarantee of a daily meal.
Food 4 Education tackles this through an innovative partnership model, working with county governments, parents who contribute what they can, and philanthropists who bridge the affordability gap.
“The organisation has grown sustainably over 14 years because everyone contributes and everyone is part of bringing the change,” Njiru said.
Currently operating in 13 counties, with five funded through county government partnerships including Nairobi, Muranga, Mombasa, and Embu, Food 4 Education plans to add five more counties in the coming year.
Stanley Njoroge, CFO of Food 4 Education, shared ambitious growth targets. “We’re feeding 600,000 today. Our ambition is to reach 1 million within the next 18 months,” Njoroge revealed.
“After that, we want to catalyse other players across Africa. We want to coach other organisations so we create an ecosystem of school feeding programmes tackling this challenge together.”
The economics are precise: 35 Kenyan shillings covers the direct cost of one nutritious meal. Multiply that by 190 school days, and 6,685 shillings feeds one child for an entire year.
Building a School Feeding Economy
Njiru reframes school feeding not as charity but as critical infrastructure, what she calls “grey matter infrastructure.””Infrastructure can be roads, but it can also be what’s in your brain, how we’re developing children to realize their human capital,” she explained.
“A growing population isn’t a worry for me. It’s an opportunity for Kenya to invest in grey matter infrastructure.”The ripple effects extend far beyond the classroom.
Food 4 Education has created a school feeding economy that supports local farmers who supply food, suppliers within the market, and Juakali artisans who manufacture the containers used for food distribution.
“Right now Food 4 Education creates opportunities for 5,500 people,” Njiru noted. “As the population grows, the money spent on school feeding also catalyses job creation. It’s not just a spend, it’s an investment that generates economic opportunities.”
Golfers Tee Up for Change
Steve Okello, a passionate golfer and driving force behind the tournament, explained how the event came together.”Two years ago I met a Food 4 Education employee who explained their work and the impact they are having. One thing came to my mind immediately. If Food 4 Education is doing this, how come I wasn’t aware of it?” Okello recalled.
“I realised we need ventures that increase the spotlight on them, that showcase the work they do. Golf, as a sport, could provide that visibility and help with fundraising.”
The tournament represents the beginning of what Okello envisions as an annual tradition.”This can continue at infinitum. The concept can be replicated over the years, using golf as a platform to increase visibility and raise funds,” he said.
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“Golfers are passionate people, and many are inclined towards creating positive change. There’s a beautiful intersection between golf and philanthropy.”
The event attracted support from unexpected quarters, including individual golfers from the United States who heard about the initiative and contributed.
The Challenge of Too Many Children
Despite the progress, Njiru acknowledges the magnitude of what remains.”One of the biggest challenges is there are just too many children. Every day, reaching as many as possible drives us,” she said.
“When I started feeding 25 kids, I thought if I feed 50 I’ll have done it. Or 100. Or 1,000. Now we are at 600,000 and talking about the next 10 million. Figuring out how to reach more kids, that’s always the challenge.”
The solution, according to the team, lies in the three-pronged approach: government partnerships, philanthropy, and parent contributions.
“We have to do it all three ways,” Njoroge emphasised. “Work with governments to contribute as much as possible. Pursue philanthropy. And work with parents, as our population becomes more wealthy, parents can contribute more. That’s the only way to sustain this. Because children need to learn, and they need nutritious meals to be attentive and to attend school.”
Njiru’s parting message to Kenyans remains simple, “Think about what you as an individual can contribute. 6,685 shillings feeds one child for an entire year. That’s not a big number, but to that one child, it changes everything.”
