During one of our community dialogue sessions on school feeding, Masaku, a representative of a Local Business Association (LBA), made a compelling case for rethinking how we approach fruit provision in schools in informal settlements. Rather than dismissing fruits as too expensive for these school meals, he challenged parents, teachers and chefs to consider practical, affordable ways of making them accessible to children. A large orange or mango, for instance, can be shared among four children. While each child may not receive a whole fruit, sharing is better than excluding fruit from their meals altogether. Fruits can also be sourced during peak seasons, when they are more readily available and often more affordable. His contribution also highlighted the important role local business associations (LBAs) play in strengthening school food systems. By linking smallholder farmers and local vendors to schools, they help bring fresh, locally sourced produce closer to learners. LBA members have also received food safety training, equipping them with knowledge that supports the safe handling and supply of fresh produce. Masaku’s insight reminds us that improving children’s diets does not always require expensive solutions. Sometimes, it takes intentional planning, stronger local partnerships and making better use of the resources available in our communities. Lishe Fiti, Masomo Fiti, Future Fiti! #SchoolMeals #FoodJustice #NutritionForAll #LocalFoodSystems #SmallholderFarmers #FoodSafety #LisheFitiMasomoFitiFutureFiti @aphrc

A child spends a big part of their day at school. What they eat there matters. Every school meal is an opportunity to nourish a growing child, support their learning, and build healthy eating habits. But school meals can do even more. When schools serve nutritious meals made with locally sourced foods, they can support children’s nutrition while creating markets for smallholder farmers and local food businesses. That means a school meal can connect three important things: a child’s health, a farmer’s livelihood, and a stronger local food system. Through the Scaling for Impact (S4I) project, supported by the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), we are working to strengthen the links between school meals, local food supply chains, and healthier food systems. #IFJAD contributes to this effort by supporting nutrition education and creating demand for healthy school meals, working alongside community organized groups (COGs) and local business associations in Nairobi’s informal settlements. Because every child deserves a nutritious meal, and every meal is an opportunity to make our food systems work better for everyone.Lishe Fiti, Masomo Fiti, Future Fiti! #LISHEFITI #SchoolMeals #FoodJustice #Nutrition #FoodSystems #IFJAD

Yesterday, we joined a community dialogue at Reuben Centre in Mukuru kwa Reuben, engaging local business associations, PTAs and teachers on strengthening school meals in urban informal settlements. We are privileged to contribute to the project, “Scaling the Integration of Micro and Small Enterprises and Smallholder Farmers into the School Meals Program in Urban Informal Settlements in Kenya,” led by African Population and Health Research Center, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Wasafiri. Through this partnership, #IFJAD is contributing to community engagement and nutrition SBCC, including developing accessible nutrition messages and materials in Sheng. We are also supporting community organized groups (COGs) and local business associations (LBAs) as they work with schools and communities to strengthen the case for schools to procure from local businesses. School meals can improve nutrition while creating markets for smallholder farmers and local food businesses. When these systems are strengthened, they can also advance food safety, support local livelihoods and contribute to more resilient urban food systems. We are grateful to APHRC for the trust and partnership. There is a lot to learn from communities, COGs and LBAs, and we look forward to continued collaboration towards stronger outcomes. #SchoolMeals #FoodSystems #Nutrition #FoodSafety #SmallholderFarmers #LocalProcurement #FoodJustice #UrbanFoodSystems #MukuruKwaReuben #IFJAD #APHRC #IFPRI #Wasafiri @aphrc @IFPRI @IFPRI_Africa