The Akshaya Patra Foundation Joins Fo rces with Food4Education as ‘Knowled ge Partner’ to Expand School
Feeding Initiatives Across Kenya Globa
l Collaboration Towards Contribution to Educational Empowerment“`
National – December, 02nd 2024: The A kshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO-run school meal program and an implementation partner of the PM POSHAN program based in Bangalo re, India, is pleased to announce a tran sformative partnership with Food4 Ed ucation, a Kenya-based nonprofit dedic ated to mainstreaming school feeding programs across Africa. Signing a Me orandum of Understanding (MoU) last week, wherein The Akshaya Patra Fou ndation goes global by becoming the of ficial ‘Knowledge Partner’ for Kenya’s Food4Education.
The two organizations set out to accel erate global efforts toward food secur ity and educational empowerment, ma rking a significant step in addressing one of the most pressing challenges fac ed by school children worldwide: acces s to nutritious meals.
Food4Education and Akshaya Patra sh are a unified vision of delivering schoo ol feeding at scale in their respective c ontinents. The Akshaya Patra Foundat tion currently feeds 2.25 Million in Ind ia daily & Food4Education serves over 4,50,000 children in Africa daily.
The initiative will also facilitate imme rsive exchanges between team membe rs, fostering mutual learning and drivi ng innovation in school feeding progra ms.
“This partnership is more than just bil ateral cooperation; it serves as a trans formational model for international c ollaboration in school feeding, showca asing how locally-rooted strategies can influence international policies on chil d nutrition,” said Wawira Njiru, Found er and CEO of Food4Education. “By hig hlighting the effectiveness of communi ty-driven, scalable, and sustainable fee ding initiatives, we hope to inspire fur ther cross-border partnerships and ini tiatives, whether local, national or reg ional” she added.
Celebrating the occasion, Sri. Chancha lapathi Dasa, Co-Founder and Vice Cha irman of The Akshaya Patra Foundat ion, stated, “As Akshaya Patra enters its 25th year in the service of children in partnership with the government, w e feel both proud and humbled looking back at what we have achieved. Today, we add yet another chapter to our hist ory as we collaborate with Food4Educ ation and take a step towards expand I ng our mission to nourish and empow er children. Both, Akshaya Patra and F ood4Education have a firm belief in th e transformative power of education ans well as the power of a school meal to bring children to school.
Food4Education is doing remarkable w ork in the school feeding space in Keny a under the able leadership of Ms. Wa wira Njiru. By combining our expertis e in school feeding programmes, we wi ll be able to ensure that every child ha s the opportunity to thrive in a healthy and supportive environment.”