As the UN Food Systems Summit +4 concluded in Addis Ababa, a transformative voice took the global TED stage: Wawira Njiru, founder and CEO of Kenya-based Food4Education. Her TED Talk, released today, powerfully asserts that “Africa is not waiting for answers — it’s creating them.”
Njiru’s journey began with a simple act — cooking and serving lunch for 25 children in a makeshift kitchen. That grassroots effort has since evolved into Food4Education, a public–private partnership delivering more than 500,000 hot, nutritious school meals every day to children across Kenya. The organization is now considered a model for school feeding infrastructure on the continent, and a case study in locally led, scalable development.
“School feeding isn’t charity — it’s strategy,” said Njiru in her TED Talk. “It’s how we nourish children, support farmers, strengthen education, and build systems that last.”
Food4Education’s approach is grounded in sustainability, technology, and local empowerment. Its network of green kitchens operates on clean energy, sources ingredients from smallholder farmers, and leverages digital platforms to track contributions and meal distribution. Parents, government bodies, and donors each play a part, co-investing in a system that is affordable, transparent, and dignified.
The organization’s model is now a cornerstone of Kenya’s national approach to school feeding and has garnered attention across Africa and beyond. As part of The Audacious Project 2024, Njiru’s talk at TED was a centerpiece of the summit’s focus on youth, innovation, and food security.
“This is more than a Kenyan story. It’s a global opportunity,” said Shalom Ndiku, Director of Public Affairs at Food4Education. “School meals are one of the most effective tools for strengthening education, nutrition, agriculture, and local economies.”
Food4Education’s recognition at UNFSS+4, as well as in Kenya’s national report, underscores the international validation of homegrown African solutions to global challenges. With Africa’s population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, Njiru’s message resonates far beyond Kenya’s borders.
TED2025’s theme, Humanity Reimagined, highlights ideas that reshape the world. Njiru’s talk — titled “From Origin to Opportunity” — challenges the global audience to rethink hunger and education through three key provocations:
- School meals are infrastructure — a tool to power health, learning, and livelihoods.
- Locally led systems scale better — rooted in African ingenuity and public trust.
- Africa can lead the world — how it feeds its children today defines the global future.
To watch the talk, visit go.ted.com/wawiranjiru. To support the cause, visit food4education.org/donate.
