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Mid-Day School Meal Program

Because a child cannot learn while hungry

The Mid-Day School Meal Program is one of the most critical and life-changing initiatives of Karunika Foundation.

Across remote Himalayan regions of Nepal, thousands of children attend school on an empty stomach — or not at all.
For many families living in extreme poverty, providing even one warm meal per day is impossible.

Very often, children are sent to school only because a meal is served there.

Why School Meals Matter

In remote and underprivileged communities, school meals are not an addition — they are a lifeline.

Our program directly helps to:

  • 🍽️ Avoid classroom hunger

  • 🎒 Increase school enrollment

  • 📈 Increase regular school attendance

  • 🧠 Improve concentration and learning outcomes

  • 🤝 Improve socialization among castes and communities

  • ❤️ Address malnutrition and physical weakness

When children are fed, they stay in school.
When they stay in school, their future changes.

Where We Work

Karunika Foundation runs and supports multiple school kitchens in very remote, difficult-to-reach locations, often accessible only by rough mountain roads or long walking routes.

Active kitchen locations (2025–2026):

  • Dakshinkali School (Kathmandu Valley – remote hill area)

  • Kulekhani – multiple school locations

  • Gorkha – rural schools

  • Shaktikhor, Chitwan

Locations awaiting support:

  • Lama Gaun

  • Siesnari

  • Cogate

More schools continue to request help as food insecurity worsens.

Program Scale & Impact

📊 Current impact:

  • 500+ children receive hot, nutritious meals

  • Meals served 6 days per week, throughout the school year

  • Programs operate in remote Himalayan and hill districts

  • Supported by multiple international organizations, sponsors, and partners

For many children, this is:

the only warm and nutritious meal of the day

More Than Food: Dignity & Equality

School meals do more than nourish bodies.

Children eat together, regardless of:

  • caste

  • family background

  • gender

This shared meal:

  • reduces discrimination

  • builds inclusion

  • strengthens community bonds

A simple lunch becomes a lesson in equality.

Why Remote Kitchens Need Support

Operating kitchens in Himalayan regions is challenging:

  • difficult transportation of food supplies

  • limited infrastructure

  • seasonal road closures

  • higher costs than urban areas

Yet these are the places where help is needed most.

Karunika Foundation works directly with:

  • schools

  • local cooks

  • teachers and communities

to ensure meals are consistent, safe, and culturally appropriate.

Our Vision: More Kitchens, More Children

Our goal for the coming years is to:

  • expand school kitchens to new districts

  • secure long-term funding for existing kitchens

  • improve kitchen infrastructure and safety

  • ensure no child drops out of school due to hunger

Every new kitchen means:
✔ higher attendance
✔ better learning
✔ healthier children
✔ stronger communities

How You Can Help

You can support the Mid-Day School Meal Program by:

  • sponsoring one school kitchen

  • covering one month or one year of meals

  • supporting kitchen upgrades

  • partnering through CSR / ESG programs

📩 Contact: office@karunika.org
Subject: Mid-Day School Meal Program – Support 2025/2026

A Simple Truth

A child who is hungry cannot learn.
A child who is fed can change the future.

Help us ensure that no child in the Himalayas goes to school hungry.