In Nairobi, Africa’s most extensive school meals program serves 60,000 daily meals to schoolchildren, most of whom come from poor city neighbourhoods.
“It is not just about money but an opportunity to serve,” explains Franklin Mutethia, food loader, whose job is to inspect the food delivery pots and ensure there is accurate labeling, two tasks that guarantee that waste is kept under 2%. “The food we prepare is making an impact in our society.”
Food4Education, a Kenyan not-for-profit organization, runs the 3,000m2 “giga-kitchen” with sustainable energy infrastructure, including eco-friendly scrap wood briquettes to power two boilers to heat water and create the steam required to cook 60,000 daily meals. The program offers meals to a quarter of children enrolled in Nairobi’s state schools. On any given school day, 2,400 kg of rice, 1,900 kg of beans, 1,800 kg of mung beans, 130 kg of onions, 170 kg of tomatoes, 160 kg of carrots, and 650 kg of cabbages are used. Each meal costs $0.2, and a parental contribution covers $0.1, credited to a virtual wallet accessible through a smart wristband. With a simple tap of the wristband, the balance can be authenticated. The kitchen and its satellite stations create jobs for some 2,000 people, transforming families in poor neighbourhoods.
