In Lawra, families can at times struggle to eat as little as 4 meals per week and the cost of school items presents a huge burden. During the hardest times of the year, many children skip school or drop out, travel south to work, or engage in other strategies to earn money, putting themselves at risk. Without support, only 1/4 pupils in Lawra will complete their junior school education, rendering them ill-equipped to support themselves. This situation has been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ATE currently provides free school meals for a total of 1,233 children, teachers and cooks across 7 rural schools. We purchase the ingredients from local markets, employ women from the community as cooks, monitor programme delivery and work with the school to identify further needs. The guarantee of a free school meal encourages children to attend school rather than to go roaming for food, and the provision of learning materials helps children to stay in education, building brighter futures.