German Africa Prize awarded to Kenyan entrepreneur for school meals program

The German Africa Foundation (DAS) has awarded its annual German Africa Prize to Kenyan social entrepreneur Wawira Njiru for building a nationwide school meals system. Njiru began her initiative while still a student, first feeding 25 children before growing the effort to reach 100. Her organization, Food4Education (F4E), now provides daily meals to more than 660,000 children at over 1,900 schools across Kenya.

From charity to infrastructure

Claus Stäcker, chair of the independent Africa Prize jury and director of programs for Africa at Deutsche Welle, said Njiru had turned a charitable idea into a functioning school-feeding system that engages families and strengthens local economies. He described the F4E model as "an African solution to a global problem."

School meals in Kenya are typically funded through a mix of parental contributions, donations and government support. F4E's approach adds a local sourcing element: about 80% of the food it distributes comes from small-scale farmers, giving children fresher meals while providing farmers a reliable market for their produce.

"For a long time, school meals were viewed as charity. We've proven that it's economic infrastructure," said 35-year-old Njiru.

Persistence behind the project

Njiru said the award is an encouraging recognition of years of dedicated work. "I'm stubborn. Once I figure I want something, I try and work towards it," she told DW. Her organization now also advises other governments on building similar school-feeding programs.

The German Africa Foundation is a nonpartisan organization that has presented the German Africa Prize since 1993 to individuals from African countries whose work offers solutions to broader global challenges. Recent recipients have come from Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Sierra Leone. This year's award ceremony will be held in the fall at the Allianz Forum in Berlin.