Real Lives, Real Change

Stories of Change

The greatest measure of our success is found not in numbers, but in lives transformed.

Faith Chebet
Featured Story
"I used to faint in class. Now I'm top of my school."

Faith Chebet is nine years old and attends Cherang'any Primary School in Trans Nzoia County. Before Lishe Kwa Mtoto began serving meals at her school in early 2024, Faith's mother, a casual labourer, would often send her to school with nothing more than a cup of weak tea. By mid-morning, Faith would be unable to concentrate. Her teacher, Mr. Barasa, recalls that she fainted twice in a single term from hunger.

Six months after the feeding program started, Faith's transformation was remarkable. Her attendance, previously irregular, became perfect. She moved from the bottom of her class to the top five. Her favourite day, she says, is when the cooks prepare githeri with carrots — a meal she calls "the best food in the world."

"A meal changed everything," says her mother Grace. "She comes home happy now. She asks to do her homework. She wants to become a doctor."

Grace Wanjiru
Grace Wanjiru Faith's mother , Trans Nzoia County
Head Teacher · Trans Nzoia
"Our school attendance jumped from 61% to 94% in one term."

Mr. Samuel Barasa has been head teacher at Cherang'any Primary for 11 years. He watched generations of children arrive hungry and struggle to learn. When the Lishe Kwa Mtoto program began in January 2024, he tracked the attendance data carefully. By April, the numbers told a story he had never seen before: from 61% daily attendance to 94% — a transformation he credits entirely to the morning meal.

"The children come eager to learn. They arrive early. They stay engaged through to lunch. Teachers are happier because they are actually teaching, not managing hungry, restless children."

Mr. Samuel BarasaHead Teacher, Cherang'any Primary
Community Cook · West Pokot
"This program gave me a job and gave children a future."

Mary Rotich is one of 60 community cooks employed by Lishe Kwa Mtoto across our partner schools. A widow with four children of her own, Mary was struggling to find stable income in Kapenguria, West Pokot, before she was trained and hired as a school cook in 2024.

"I wake up at 5 AM to prepare the porridge. By the time children arrive, everything is ready. I know every child by name. When I see them eat — when I see them smile — I feel like I am doing God's work."

Mary RotichCommunity Cook — Kapenguria, West Pokot
Farmer Supplier · Kitale
"They buy from us at fair prices. Our farm is thriving."

Joseph Wekesa farms 3 acres of maize and soybeans in Kitale. When Lishe Kwa Mtoto approached his cooperative in mid-2024 to supply ingredients for the Lishe Mix, it changed his household's economic trajectory. He now supplies 2 tonnes of maize per month at a guaranteed price, removing the uncertainty of market fluctuations.

"Before, I was selling to middlemen at whatever price they offered. Now I have a contract. My children are also in school — and eating better themselves."

Joseph WekesaSmallholder Farmer — Kitale, Trans Nzoia
County Official · Trans Nzoia
"The ripple effect is remarkable."

Dr. Asha Mwangi, Director of Education for Trans Nzoia County, has partnered with Lishe Kwa Mtoto since the program's inception. She says the data from county schools is unambiguous: schools participating in the feeding program consistently outperform non-participant schools on attendance, retention and end-of-term assessments.

"When children eat, they stay in school. When they stay in school, entire families break out of poverty cycles. This is not charity. It is the most efficient investment we know in human capital."

Dr. Asha MwangiDirector of Education, Trans Nzoia County

"When children are fed, they can focus. When they focus, they can learn. When they learn, they can lead."

— Lishe Kwa Mtoto
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