Wawira Njiru : nourishing Africa’s future, one child at a time
Founder of Food4Education, Wawira Njiru transformed a simple school canteen project into a Kenyan organization that now feeds more than 570,000 children daily. Thanks to her partnership with France, her work now reaches an additional 19,000 students, consolidating her educational and social impact.
A trained nutritionist and social entrepreneur, Wawira Njiru embodies boldness and vision in the field of school nutrition in Africa. In 2012, in her hometown of Nairobi, she started modestly by serving 25 meals a day in one school, with a simple yet determined ambition: no child should have to learn on an empty stomach. This initiative has since grown to a national and continental scale, with Food4Education (F4E) now serving more than 570,000 hot, nutritious meals daily across 1,400 schools in Kenya.
“Giga Kitchens”: meals and optimized logistics “from farm to plate”
The F4E model is built on three pillars: efficiency, nutrition, and affordability. Centralized industrial kitchens, known as “Giga Kitchens,” combined with Tap2Eat technology, allow real-time monitoring of meals and optimized logistics “from farm to plate.” The meals are balanced, made with 80% locally sourced ingredients, largely grown by women, and provided at a cost of less than $0.30 per child, thanks to co-financing from parents, governments, and philanthropy.
More than 120 million meals served since 2012
Under Wawira’s leadership, Food4Education does more than feed—it directly impacts children’s schooling and development. Since 2012, over 120 million meals have been served, contributing to a 27% increase in school enrollment and a 20% improvement in national exam results. With more than 4,300 jobs created, the majority of them for women, and a 97% parental satisfaction rate, F4E stands as a shining example of sustainable social entrepreneurship.
International recognition matching her impact
Wawira Njiru’s leadership has naturally been recognized far beyond Kenya. She is the recipient of the Skoll Award for Social Innovation (2024), named UN Kenya Person of the Year (2021), and has received prestigious accolades such as the Elevate Prize, the University of Pennsylvania’s Lipman Prize, and the Global Citizen Youth Leadership Prize. Her vision goes beyond simple food distribution: she advocates for school nutrition to become essential social infrastructure for Africa’s development, cementing her position among the continent’s most influential young leaders.
No child in Kenya should be forced to learn on an empty stomach
Recently, Wawira Njiru and Food4Education strengthened their partnership with France to expand the program to Kisumu, Mombasa, and Kakamega, enabling an additional 19,000 students to receive reliable, nutritious meals each day. “This partnership with France goes far beyond providing meals,” explains Wawira Njiru. “It is about restoring dignity and opening opportunities for children who would otherwise have to learn on an empty stomach. Expanding this program will allow thousands more students to get the nutrition they need to stay in school, focus, and thrive. Our goal is clear: no child in Kenya should be forced to learn on an empty stomach.”
With the support of the French Embassy in Kenya and the global School Meals Coalition, the initiative now benefits more than 19,000 children from low-income households, often facing severe food insecurity. This expansion includes the creation of new infrastructure, notably a second central kitchen in Changamwe, Mombasa County, capable of producing 20,000 meals per day. These investments ensure a reliable and steady food supply, strengthening both academic success and student nutrition.
Technological innovation and social responsibility
Wawira’s approach combines technological innovation with social responsibility. Decentralized models are being tested in several Kenyan counties, and the organization aims to establish a Pan-African Center of Excellence by 2030. At the core of her mission, the young entrepreneur demonstrates that healthy, affordable meals can drive educational, social, and economic development.
For Wawira Njiru, every meal is an investment in the future: giving a child the chance to focus, learn, and dream is the key to building a stronger, more resilient Africa. Her journey inspires generations of African leaders and proves that social entrepreneurship can transform millions of lives—one plate at a time.
