Ask a teacher in the communities we serve what most gets in the way of learning, and the answer is often not books, desks or even classrooms. It's hunger.
Hunger is a barrier to education
A child who hasn't eaten can't concentrate. Proper nutrition is essential for cognitive development, and for many children a meal at school is the most reliable meal of the day. When that meal isn't there, school competes with hunger — and hunger usually wins.
That's why nutritious school meals are one of our three pillars, alongside uniforms and clean water.
From handouts to harvests
Buying food helps today. Growing it helps every day after. Our school farm projects establish working farms on or beside school grounds, producing food that goes straight into the school kitchen — and creating a model that sustains itself long after the initial investment.
A complete feeding project — around £20,000 — subsidises meals for roughly 1,500 children for a year while the farm is established. Water-access systems, which make the farms and kitchens possible, cost around £5,000.
Sponsor a farm
Farms are our most ambitious projects, and our most lasting. They're sponsored by individuals, families and brands who want their giving to compound. If that's you, see our farm sponsorship programme — or make a donation of any size towards meals that keep children learning.
Help us remove the barriers keeping children out of school.
Donate now