Joint Initiative to Support School Mid-Day Meals in Nepal launched

Kathmandu: World Food Program USA and Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF), the charitable arm of Lions International, have announced a USD $4 million partnership in support of the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Homegrown School Feeding (HGSF) Programme in four countries, including Nepal.

While the partnership is a global collaboration, with both organizations contributing USD $2 million each toward the overall effort, each of the four funded projects is unique. In Nepal, this grant will support the Government’s School Feeding Programme (Mid-Day Meal Programme).

This initiative will benefit approximately 90,000 students from grades 0-5 across 800 schools in the Surkhet and Jajarkot districts of Karnali Province, the Lions Clubs International stated in a press release today.

“Every day, hundreds of millions of people worldwide, especially children, suffer from hunger,” said Lions Clubs International President Fabrício Oliveira. “With support from Lions Clubs International Foundation and the World Food Program USA, we are working to ensure regular access to nutritious and sufficient food for children in Nepal and people around the world.”

Homegrown School Feeding Programmes are multisectoral game changers that have proven over decades to improve children’s education, health, and nutrition. When integrated into the local community, school meals benefit the entire community by providing an important safety net and by strengthening food systems and economies, it said. By further integrating with local small-scale farmers, local economies benefit, and a better-designed food system is created that also leads to impacts across gender, climate, and sustainability.

“In Nepal, the Mid-Day Meal Programme benefits over three million students daily,” said WFP Nepal Country Director, Robert Kasca. “Through homegrown school feeding, we are not only serving nutritious meals that are fresh from the farm to plates but also supporting local farmers and strengthening the community food system. I am confident that the support provided by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, along with the support of other development partners will be catalytic in strengthening the home-grown school feeding approach in Karnali.”

WFP is the world’s largest provider of school meals, working with communities, governments, and private sector partners to ensure that all primary schoolchildren have access to good quality meals in schools. As part of this collaboration, WFP is engaging with Lions Clubs members in the region.

Hunger is one of Lions International’s eight global causes. LCIF is the global foundation supporting the 1.4 million members of Lions Clubs International through grant funds that expand their compassionate works and empower their service at home and around the world. Since its founding in 1968, LCIF has awarded more than 20,000 grants totalling nearly $1.3 billion, improving health and well-being, strengthening communities, and supporting those in need locally and globally.

In Nepal, Lions Clubs have been active in humanitarian services since 1971, operating through more than 2,000 clubs and 46,000 members across 70 districts. They support a wide range of activities, including health, vision, education, environmental conservation, disaster relief, and community development projects. Over the past 40 years, LCIF has funded various programs and projects in Nepal, contributing more than $20 million. Additionally, LCIF supported the Nepal Government’s measles (rubella) vaccination campaign in 2013 and assisted in the reconstruction of government schools damaged by the 2015 earthquake and the recent earthquake in Jajarkot.

World Food Program USA is a non-profit organization based in the United States that supports the mission of the U.N. World Food Programme by mobilizing American policymakers, businesses, and individuals to advance the global movement to end hunger.

—