Feed 240 families during the long school holidays.

It is that time when students in Kenya prepare to end the 2024 academic year and usher in the long school holidays in November and December.

To most children in informal settlements such as Kibera who rely on the daily breakfast and lunch offered at the school when schools are on, the holidays come with worries about whether their parents can provide food at home regularly. This leads the children to look for food outside their homes by either engaging in criminal activities, child labor, or begging for food on the streets, and some opting not to come back to school when schools reopen.

Our holiday feeding programme which provides food packs to families during the long school holidays has helped in keeping the children away from the streets and engaging in child labor for food. The programme has also seen that there is no nutritional loss in children that we support. We also witnessed a 100% return of children to school this academic year.

This year, we are intending to provide food packs to 240 families in Kibera comprising of 1,500 individuals. This is an increment from the 138 households we supported in 2024. We aim to keep the children safe at home without worrying about where their next meal will come from as they enjoy their holidays like other children, hence increasing their education outcomes.

"Making ends meet as a single mother in Kibera, especially during school holidays when there's an added strain on the budget with the kids at home can be tough. However, since Turning Point introduced the Holiday Feeding Programme, it has been a game-changer for the entire family," says Peninnah, a parent to one of the students at The Turning Point Trust.

She explains that besides her children having access to food, the programme also relieves some of the financial burdens of feeding her 3 children. 

The Turning Point’s Holiday Feeding Programme ensures that the children we support do not have to look for food outside their homes, but instead use the time to relax and enjoy their holiday with an assurance of having a homemade meal.

"Thanks to Turning Point’s Holiday Feeding Programme, I can save the little money I earn from the casual jobs I do daily or put the money into other expenses within the household. As a beneficiary of this programme, I am guaranteed that my children will always be in safe hands, receiving love and care, and the nutrition they need, even when they are not in school. This programme has truly been a blessing and a lifeline for my family, and I'm incredibly grateful for the support. It's more than just a meal service; it's a beacon of hope for families like mine who sometimes struggle to make ends meet," says Peninnah.

Peninnah’s household is one of 147 households we support through our Holiday Feeding Programme when the children close school for their two-month-long holiday break. As an organization, we would not have achieved all this without your generous support. We would like to welcome you to partner with us in ensuring that we carry on our school feeding programme to the households of the children we support and their families.