provision of school feeding programmes to young Kenyans

Estimates determine that 23 million children go to school without anything to eat in Kenya. Chronic under nutrition impacts one in four children, stunting their growth. Children who are hungry fall behind in classes because they have trouble learning and paying attention.globally  

 School-aged children are bearing the brunt of today’s Global Food Crisis with devastating consequences for their education and their ability to catch up on learning lost during COVID school closures, warn the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the African Union Development Agency NEPAD, and organizations working on education, including the Education Commission chaired by Gordon Brown, former British Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education.

WFP estimates that the global food crisis has pushed an additional 23 million under-18s into acute food insecurity since the start of the year, taking the total of children now affected to 153 million. This represents nearly half of the 345 million people facing acute hunger, according to WFP data from 82 countries.

The global food crisis is threatening the futures of millions of school-aged children who have only just returned to classrooms following the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging evidence points to unprecedented learning losses during the pandemic, which risk being further compounded by this current food crisis. The World Bank estimates that the share of 10-year-old in poorer developing countries unable to read or write has increased from 53 per cent to 75 per cent.

factors leading to hunger in schools

climate change

Drought, floods, fires, heatwaves, and other climate shocks are driving people from their homes, destroying livelihoods, and pushing communities deeper into hunger. Climate change has a dramatic impact on the quantity and nutritious quality of food produced around the world. It also contaminates and threatens water supply.

Action Against Hunger helps communities adapt and build resiliency to extreme weather patterns and disasters, while finding sustainable sources of healthy food.

conflict

Hunger is both a cause and consequence of conflict. An estimated 60% of the world’s hungry people live in countries experiencing active conflict, most of which are caused by disputes over food, water, or the resources needed to produce them. Conflict disrupts harvests, hampers the delivery of humanitarian aid, and forces families to flee their homes.

poverty

Around the world, 648 million people live in extreme poverty. They survive on less than $2.15 a day, an amount which is impossible to support a healthy livelihood in any part of the world.

Without sufficient and sustainable incomes, families cannot afford access to nutritious food, clean water, or health care. As a result, one in three children in low- and middle-income countries suffers from chronic under-nutrition. Without treatment, hunger can lead to stunted growth, limited mental and emotional development, and even death.

When basic needs are lacking, people become desperate and will compromise everything in the struggle to survive.One of the most basic needs is food.Without the food we provide at a young age, children will not be able to develop properly and go to school. With nutrition they are able to stay in school in order to get rewarding jobs, and eventually to sustain their own family. With this as our strategy, our programs adapt over time based on what challenges the Kenyan youth are facing.age 1-8  is vital for early childhood development. Good nutrition is extremely important, as is the ability to play, discover, and be creative and carefree.  Many children in this age group have a single parent who is trying to support their family, but struggles due to lack of financial stability. We help with one of the highest costs of parents of this age group by providing free porridge in the morning, and a balanced and nutritious hot lunch at school. Since government schools in Kenya are almost free, by giving porridge and lunch we take a huge burden off parents. The stability this brings is what children need to live a carefree life. At the same time, nutrition helps them to develop in a healthy way and gives them energy to play and discover in a safe environment.We provide porridge and daily warm school meals to nursery and primary pupils, taking some pressure off parents and guardians, and on children who otherwise will need to start working, begging, or stealing at a very young age.Primary schools in Kenya are almost free, yet many children are not in school due to lack of food at home. They are forced to contribute to the household income in order to pay rent, buy food etc: survival is the priority. 

The feeding program gives families the chance to change that priority to schooling and allow children to create a future for themselves. 

 ‘’Without food the pupils don’t come to school‘’ 

— Rita, primary school teacher in Kenya

In 2014, 45% of children under the age of 18, a total of 9.5 million children in Kenya experienced child poverty. The child poverty rate dropped by 10 percentage points from 2008-2009, when 55% of children were deprived in three to six dimensions.County child poverty rates reveal large inequities based on children’s residence. Child poverty ranged between 7% in Nairobi and 85% in Turkana. The counties with the highest child poverty rate were Turkana, West Pokot, Wajir, Tana River, Samburu and Mandera, with poverty rates between 76% and 85%. Bungoma and Kakamega were the counties with the largest number of poor children, 661,660 and 515,842, respectively. Child poverty in rural areas (56%) was also significantly higher compared to urban areas (19%).  

better future international  focuses on helping children from the most challenging and unstable backgrounds. Many come from single parent households where lack of food, unemployment, diseases and addictions are common. We help in changing those environments into more constructive ones. Our feeding program creates stability, both for the children as well as for the parents. 

Circumstances no longer force a parent to compromise everything because she/he knows that their child will get food every day at school. Stability gives a parent the possibility to pay the rent, repair the house, pay a medical bill, buy clothes and apply for a job. In short, be able to be a better parent! 

We realized that challenges at home have  a negative effect on the development of a child. Therefore we provide counseling to parents as well. Many of them never have never been to school, and therefore have a hard time supporting their children’s education.  

Our students in turn help their own families by sharing the knowledge and empowerment that they gathered through our programs. Former students also support their families financially.

Thus helping one student benefits a whole family.

additional programmes that we provide includes the following

• The secondary and college programs help them to develop themselves academically. 
• The counseling programs help them to become responsible adults with higher self esteem.
• Last but not least, we help our former students with job training and placement. 

These young Kenyans grow up to be professionals, health care workers, teachers, builders, parents and loving husbands and wives.  In return, our former students give back to the programs, completing the cycle of success!  

They have made a change in their lives.  Together we are changing the future for Kenya! 

Quote: When i am done with my studies i want to start my own pharmacy and financially help the pupils who went to the same primary school I did – Kennedy (former student )

Kennedy successfully started his own pharmacy and is now a proud sponsor of the better future international. 

These guidelines are an effort to ensure an independent needs-based and principled approach to humanitarian response and appropriate targeting of beneficiaries to ensure equitable access, especially for the most vulnerable, within Pakistan. Six Guiding Rules for Beneficiary Selection and Targeting 1. Independent selection and verification of beneficiaries through organisation and project specific needs-based selection criteria is critical. 2. Prioritization of the most vulnerable is necessary. 3. Facilitation of access to assistance for all, especially the most vulnerable is required 4. Geographical coverage must be focused on the areas and populations most in need. 5. Taking into consideration pre-existing social, cultural and political dynamics or practices that may marginalise or exploit certain groups is fundamental. 6. Developing monitoring mechanisms to check that assistance is independent and needs based is required.

All of our programs are focused on helping children and young adults attain the means to succeed and do so by building on each other.

Without the food we provide at a young age, children will not be able to develop properly and go to school. With nutrition they are able to stay in school in order to get rewarding jobs, and eventually to sustain their own family. With this as our strategy, our programs adapt over time based on what challenges the Kenyan youth are facing.

We currently have 5 locations in Kenya which provide the school feeding programs:

• Kisiwa Primary School, Thika
• Karibaribi Primary, Thika
• Suska Kindergarten, Thika
• Muvuko Primary, Mutomo
• Better Future Farm, Kwale county

We started our programs in 2009 at Kisiwa primary school in Thika, 50 km northeast of Nairobi. In 2011 we expanded to two other schools in Thika, Karibaribi primary and Suska kindergarten, and also opened our headquarters office there.  This is also the location where we have the majority of our counselling sessions with pupils in our sponsoring programs.

We started our programs in 2009 at Kisiwa primary school in Thika, 50 km northeast of Nairobi. In 2011 we expanded to two other schools in Thika, Karibaribi primary and Suska kindergarten, and also opened our headquarters office there.  This is also the location where we have the majority of our counselling sessions with pupils in our sponsoring programs.

In 2018 we had the resources to expand our feeding program to Muvuko primary, 230 km east of Nairobi.  After extensive research into food availability, demographics, poverty, and others, we concluded that our program could bring the most benefit to the South Kitui region. When more funding is available, we plan to expand our programs in this region.

This farm is an example for other farmers on how to earn a livelihood. Interested? You can visit us and do a farm tour.

over 2500

Channel partners expect a number of resources and benefits from their vendors' partner programs. Typical features of partner programs include the following:

• Technical training and sales enablement. Vendors provide technical training in various formats, such as online courses via learning management systems or in-person sessions conducted at a vendor or partner location. Sales enablement content can include white papers, sales scripts, competitor comparisons and presentations -- all of which is aimed at preparing a partner's sales teams for customer engagements.
• Incentives and discounts. Partners will usually be incentivized to resell a vendor's products and services. Rewards can range from discounts and back end rebates to sales performance incentive funds. Other program incentives can include awards and industry recognition at vendor events. Partner programs may develop incentives around specific sales initiatives, like acquiring new customers.
• Deal registration. Partners use deal registration systems to register sales leads and request exclusive rights for pursuing the deal. Deal registration helps partners protect their investment in sales opportunities. But the systems that manage deal registration may offer limited visibility into deal status. Vendors, however, may deploy partner relationship management systems, a channel-oriented take on costumer relationship management, to improve their interaction with channel companies.
• Marketing assets. Partner programs generally offer a range of marketing materials, tools and resources that partners can use to launch campaigns. As digital marketing became the dominant method for connecting with customers, many vendors began offering web-based marketing materials, such as social media content.
• Partner portals. Much of a vendor's interactions with its channel partners are conducted through a web-based partner portal. Using the portal, partners can access the vendor's deal registration system, online training, and sales and marketing information and content. Additionally, some portals let partners track and manage their sales leads .

Social innovation is a process, with overlapping but differing stages requiring specific tools and methodologies, skills and culture at each stage. It requires different management approaches to the traditional NGO project delivery model – including allowing for more flexibility, rapid learning and entrepreneurial-ism to accomplish the end goal.                                                                                   Sustainable farming

Food is at the core of our programs. And there is no food without farming.Kenyans have been farming for many generations and most of them are smallholder farmers trying to make a living for themselves – something that is becoming increasingly more challenging due to climate change. We have started our own farm in order to search for solutions to help those with similar challenges but without the same resources we have access to.

Some examples of the struggles we face are drought and extreme rain. The combination of drought and extreme rain creates erosion. To counter these problems we have researched the matter and learned that digging trenches in the land will stop the accumulation of water, which creates erosion. The trenches do the opposite, they fill up with water and slowly release it to the soil. The soil will store the water, something that is sorely needed during the dry season.

We also farm without the use of pesticides in order to maximize the nutritional benefit of our products, minimize our environmental impact, and allow nature to work its magic.Because of our changes, neighboring farmers are starting to see the difference both in rain and in dry seasons.This enables us to be an example. We teach while we learn and we learn while we teach!

                                                Income generating

Mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas, cashew nuts, Bixa Orellana, and many other fruits and vegetables are some of the proud produce of our farm. The income that these products generate gets reinvested back into our school feeding and sponsorship programs.

Do you want to see this place with your own eyes while supporting BFI work? You are welcome to pay us a visit through our Farm Tour. During this tour you will be brought to the farm, shown the great things we do here, eat an amazing lunch, enjoy the African countryside and you will be brought back to your hotel before the sun sets. 

Over the past few decades better future international  have gained significant popularity as the third pillar of development and have played a key role in providing social, economic and environmental services to the marginalized.

Growth of better future international as providers of essential services and key players in policy reforms has been a global phenomenon. We have worked very effectively in areas where both government and private players have failed miserably, this ability of  working in the most fragile and backward places has been recognized and applauded by both national and international entities.

better future international play an important role in pushing several social agendas both at regional and national level. This organization not only implement action oriented programs at grass root levels, but also advocate socially relevant procedures and protocols nationally. Over the years, we have established ourselves as important institutions that tackle issues related to the poorest sections of the society. We undertake a wide array of activities, including policy advocacy on national affairs,environmental protection, delivering healthcare, women empowerment, economic development, and many other developmental projects.

Seeing the growth of better future international , it would not be incorrect to say that we exist for nearly all possible social causes. Last few decades have witnessed the growth and upsurge of better future like never before, they have grown both in structure and effectiveness. . Acknowledging the strong grass root linkages and field expertise of better future international, s international organizations like stichting kisiwa, unaitas and diamond trust bank support and work with us. We use participatory tools to engage local communities, that leads to effective project implementation.better future international is categorized under Charitable, These NGOs follow top-down approach for its projects. There is little participation of the communities and activities are planned to help the weaker -sections of the society, without seeking suggestion from beneficiaries.

 People ask themselves that when they are thinking about their careers.  The only way to plan a road-map is to know where the road is going.  Her thesis and I agree wholeheartedly, is that these industries need to take their organisation down to the studs (usually the analogy of doing a complete gut renovation) and rethink the entire work organization chart from the top down and bottom up.  New titles, new revenue models, new product and start again.  The stocks may plummet but they will eventually rise from the ashes.

The years to come will be quite interesting because when and if better future international do that, the number of people they need to be working there will be significantly less.  Cultures and priorities must change with new nimble blood.  If they can’t do it, they will not be able to hang their hats on years of business because the hat hook will have disappeared.

Better future international provide porridge and daily warm school meals to nursery and primary pupils, taking some pressure off parents and guardians, and on children who otherwise will need to start working, begging, or stealing at a very young age.Primary schools in Kenya are almost free, yet many children are not in school due to lack of food at home. They are forced to contribute to the household income in order to pay rent, buy food etc: survival is the priority.

Nutritious meals give students energy to play, run, create, learn, and the energy to focus.  School grades are up by 50% after our feeding programs are in place for 6 years.Since we take away the pressure from a parent to provide food every day, children are not obliged to start working, begging or stealing at a young age.  With food taken care of for the children, parents are more able to pay their rent.  Having a stable home creates safety and the stability to focus: one of the most important foundations in the journey out of poverty. 

We focus on helping children from the most challenging and unstable backgrounds. Many come from single parent households where lack of food, unemployment, diseases and addictions are common. We help in changing those environments into more constructive ones. Our feeding program creates stability, both for the children as well as for the parents.Circumstances no longer force a parent to compromise everything because she/he knows that their child will get food every day at school. Stability gives a parent the possibility to pay the rent, repair the house, pay a medical bill, buy clothes and apply for a job. In short, be able to be a better parent. We realized that challenges at home have  a negative effect on the development of a child. Therefore we provide counseling to parents as well. Many of them never have never been to school, and therefore have a hard time supporting their children’s education.Our students in turn help their own families by sharing the knowledge and empowerment that they gathered through our programs. Former students also support their families financially.Thus helping one student benefits a whole family.

better future international is organised around three outcome pillars: First is Primary Prevention; secondly, Response and Prevention of Recurrence; and finally, the third pillar, which is about Strengthening of Child Protection Systems. The better future programmes are  intended to enhance the evaluability of  programmes and provide guidance for colleagues working at better future Offices and Field Offices, as well as partners to plan, implement, monitor and improve child protection interventions in humanitarian settings around the world. The products may also be of interests to our donors and to host governments in the regions where we work since they help provide a better understanding of our programming and the assumptions that this programming is based. 

                                Vision for change

 The desired outcome for better future international is by 2030, an increased number of girls and boys, including adolescents in all settings in Kenya, are protected from violence, neglect, abandonment and exploitation through an improved child protection system.This outcome is closely aligned with better future Strategic Plan Goal : Every child is protected from violence and exploitation. The pathway towards change will build upon and expand the successes in strengthening the child protection system, while addressing  existing gaps and better understanding emerging concerns.                                                        Conditions for change

 Building on the better future international commitment to protecting children collaborating with the government, desired change will take place under the following conditions: government institutions have the capacity and evidence to plan, legislate, coordinate, budget and enforce child protection laws and policies at all levels all child protection service providers are able to deliver quality and timely child protection services, including referrals to other services at all levels; and all girls and boys and their families are empowered to prevent and respond to violence, neglect, abandonment and exploitation, and demand services. These conditions call for a strengthened child protection system to be in place.Specific barriers still exist to achieving the desired outcome. They include insufficient coverage of services and capacity, lack of understanding of child protection issues and their impact on children, norms that perpetuate violence, neglect and exploitation, and gaps in evidence. Many response mechanisms are similar across most child protection issues, so consolidated support can have a positive impact on multiple child protection issues. 

                    pathway to theory of change

1.Better future international service providers are able to deliver quality and timely child protection services, including referrals to other services, at the national and sub-national levels. For this change to occur, the better future international needs to lead the process for expansion and improved quality of child protection services through the social workforce and other front-line workers, with support from development partners and civil society. 2. All girls and boys and their families are empowered to prevent and respond to violence, neglect, abandonment and exploitation. For this change to happen,families, communities and children themselves need to have access to and understand the evidence around violence, neglect, abandonment and exploitation, as well as the factors that prevent children from speaking out.

better future international is still in an early stage of IT adoption, in their organizational settings due to lack of funding,we are categorized under operational NGOs, whose purpose is the design and implementation of development related project and defend or promote a specific cause.  making our IT requirement a bit simpler .Information and communication technologies (IT) has provide a valuable support to our organisation in improving their transparency level .Better future international use a vast array of technology and communications systems to manage our operations.  cell phones for communication and networking purposes with Internet being a major driver. The investment in IT is heavy and better future international utilize proven strategic models to drive their business. Research efforts indicate that better future international has appropriate information technologies with knowledge being a big advantage and we use the technology beyond e-mail and browsing internet. We view IT as a management tool hence they give it  priority and managers have appropriate  knowledge and skills that can recognize and apply appropriate IT solutions with most executive board hence  linking the IT investments with  NGOs mission.Better future international is not  blinded by the financial gains hence encountering less challenges including lack of funds and affordability issues .Information Technology and Organization Performance Information Technology (IT) is a term used to refer to the use of computers or any other process that helps to produce, manipulate process, store, communicate, and/or disseminate information and it includes hardware, software, databases, network which is one of the major focus in better future international 

Better Future international has a mandate to advance a respectful and caring community that embraces diversity and empowers everyone to learn and do their best at BFI, cultivating a community focused on BFI shared values of excellence, community, equity, belonging, openness, integrity, and mutual respect.

BFI is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

BFI is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The BFI family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, age, dis/ability, sexual orientation, religion or any other personal characteristic.

We strive to level the playing field by removing barriers so that everyone has a fair opportunity to join BFI and leverage their individual strengths and talents. We can only deliver better results for children by intentionally focusing on diversity and by amplifying the voices of those who are least heard.

Our core values of care, respect, integrity, trust and accountability guide the way we serve children and the way colleagues at BFI are expected to relate to one another. While no large organization is immune to bias, discrimination and misconduct, we make it a priority to create an environment where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.

BFI has a zero-tolerance policy against discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority of any kind.

Beneficiary Segments

Age 1-8 Early Childhood

This age is vital for early childhood development. Good nutrition is extremely important, as is the ability to play, discover, and be creative and carefree.  Many children in this age group have a single parent who is trying to support their family, but struggles due to lack of financial stability. We help with one of the highest costs of parents of this age group by providing free porridge in the morning, and a balanced and nutritious hot lunch at school. 

Social And Customer Value Proposition

All of our programs are focused on helping children and young adults attain the means to succeed and do so by building on each other.

Without the food we provide at a young age, children will not be able to develop properly and go to school. With nutrition they are able to stay in school in order to get rewarding jobs, and eventually to sustain their own family. With this as our strategy, our programs adapt over time based on what challenges the Kenyan youth are facing.

Impact Measures

Did you know that you can hear the difference between a playground on a school with and without a feeding program?

In an environment where poverty, drug and alcohol addictions, abuse and child labour are the standard it is extremely hard for young Kenyans to focus. 

Nutritious meals give students energy to play, run, create, learn, and the energy to focus.  School grades are up by 50% after our feeding programs are in place for 6 years. 

Our programs also ensure students have shelter.  

Since we take away the pressure from a parent to provide food every day, children are not obliged to start working, begging or stealing at a young age.  With food taken care of for the children, parents are more able to pay their rent.  Having a stable home creates safety and the stability to focus: one of the most important foundations in the journey out of poverty. 

Finally, we help students focus through our counseling program.  Coming from a poor background means they are often not equipped to deal with the stress, decision making, and workload of school.

Surplus

Though it is still not easy, the chance to create a stable life for yourself in Kenya is dramatically increased with a secondary school degree. The Kenyan population grows at more than 2% per year, all of whom are competing for a place to live, electricity, healthcare, and transportation. 

Our college age program enables students to take tests to match them with a useful and fulfilling career that they are excited about, and funds their tuition, housing, food, and transport costs. In order for our students to have good opportunities, we also analyze the job market to see where the current and future demand lies and recommend careers in those areas: there is a great demand for skilled workers in Kenya like electricians, welders, nurses, barbers, pharmacists and accountants. 

Better future international applies social enterprise model to achieve its mandate. Social enterprises apply business solutions to social problems. The ultimate goal is to achieve sustainability by enabling non-profits to support themselves financially in innovative ways instead of relying solely on grants and donations. Since there are no shareholders in a non-profit organization, the profits from the related social enterprise are completely re-invested in the work of the organization.

The emergence of revenue-generating activities for non-profits has created a new operating model where business principles, market characteristics and values (competition, diversification, entrepreneurship, innovation, and a focus on the bottom line) co-exist and work with traditional public sector values like responsiveness to community and serving the public interest. Essential to the success of a social enterprise is an effective business model.

A business model includes two key elements:

1. an operating strategy that includes internal organizational structure and external partnerships that are crucial for creating the organization’s intended impact; and,
2. a resource strategy that defines where and on what terms the organization will acquire the resources (financial and human) it needs to do its work.

The business model for a social enterprise is the channel that the social entrepreneur converts inputs into outcomes; the generation of both social value (measurable impact) and economic value (revenue).

A social enterprise can be integrated with the non-profit organization in one of several ways:

Embedded:

•  The enterprise and the social program are one and the same
• The business is created to serve clients (central to the mission)e.g

 the products from our farms are used to support the school feeding program where there is excess supply.

External:

• Social and business activities are separate and may or may not be related to the mission of the organization
• The business is created mainly as a funding mechanism to support social activities e.g

                            Income generating

Mangoes, papayas, pineapples, bananas, cashew nuts, Bixa Orellana, and many other fruits and vegetables are some of the proud produce of our farm. The income that these products generate gets reinvested back into our school feeding and sponsorship programs. Do you want to see this place with your own eyes while supporting BFI work? You are welcome to pay us a visit through our Farm Tour. During this tour you will be brought to the farm, shown the great things we do here, eat an amazing lunch, enjoy the African countryside and you will be brought back to your hotel before the sun sets.