PROGRAM LAUNCH
June 15, 2026
ልጆች ባሉበት ሁሉ ምግብ ይኑርLet there be food wherever there are children.
Advancing Sustainable
School Feeding
Systems
For Child Nutrition, Education, and Community Development
The Ethiopia School Meal Initiative (ESMI) is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to transforming school feeding systems into sustainable platforms for child nutrition, educational success, youth empowerment, food security, and economic development.
Through innovative school feeding models, policy leadership, climate-smart agriculture, modern food systems, and strategic partnerships, ESMI works to ensure that every child has access to nutritious meals while creating opportunities for communities, farmers, women, and young people.
2013
Advancing school feeding as a movement
Policy
Leadership for stronger national systems
Impact
Nutrition, education, and resilience
Our Impact at a Glance
2013
Advancing school feeding as a sustainable development movement
Policy Leadership
Strengthening school feeding policies, financing mechanisms, and institutional frameworks
Child Nutrition
Improving access to nutritious meals that support healthy growth and development
Education
Reducing hunger-related barriers to learning, attendance, and school participation
Smart Agriculture
Connecting school feeding systems with climate-smart food production and local supply chains
Youth Empowerment
Developing future agripreneurs, innovators, and community leaders
Community Resilience
Building locally owned systems that support long-term impact and sustainability
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WHO WE ARE
Leading the Transformation of School Feeding in Ethiopia and Beyond.
Since 2013, ESMI has been at the forefront of advancing sustainable school feeding systems that address hunger, improve educational outcomes, strengthen local food systems, and support long-term social and economic development.
Since 2013
Advancing sustainable school feeding systems in Ethiopia
"No child should be expected to learn while hungry."
WHY SCHOOL FEEDING MATTERS
School feeding is more than a meal. It is one of the most effective investments a country can make in its future.
Improved Child Nutrition
Reducing hunger and improving dietary diversity among school-aged children across Ethiopia.
Better Educational Outcomes
Increasing school attendance, concentration, retention, and academic performance.
Stronger Local Economies
Creating reliable markets for local farmers, cooperatives, food suppliers, and community enterprises.
Youth Employment Opportunities
Supporting agripreneurship, food production, processing, logistics, innovation, and digital skills.
Women's Economic Empowerment
Generating employment and leadership opportunities within school feeding value chains.
Sustainable Food Systems
Promoting climate-smart agriculture, local food sourcing, smart farming, and community resilience.
Featured Success Story
Featured Success Story
The Sekota Declaration & Early School Milk Model
ESMI’s early work in and around Sekota demonstrated how school feeding can be practical, community-owned, and connected to local economic systems. Through school milk programs and the promotion of dairy farms near schools, ESMI helped show how nutrition, education, agriculture, and local livelihoods can work together.
Early ModelCommunity-owned nutrition and school feeding approach
Policy Advocacy
National School Feeding Program Advocacy
ESMI’s community-owned school milk models in Bahir Dar and Sebeta helped demonstrate that school feeding can be locally managed, community-supported, and connected to broader development goals. These models contributed to wider recognition of school meals as a national development priority and a strategic public investment that supports child nutrition, education, local livelihoods, and long-term social and economic development.
Strategic Public InvestmentPromoting school feeding as a national priority for children, schools, and communities.
Systems Transformation
Dire Dawa School Feeding Systems Transformation
With financial support from UNICEF, ESMI implemented a comprehensive school feeding systems-strengthening initiative in Dire Dawa, supporting school meal provision for more than 10,000 students across five schools. The initiative links legal frameworks, financing mechanisms, smart kitchen infrastructure, smart farming, and local food systems to build a sustainable school feeding model that improves child nutrition, strengthens education, and supports community resilience.
UNICEF-Supported InitiativeSupporting sustainable school feeding for more than 10,000 students in five schools through policy reform, infrastructure development, smart agriculture, and community participation.
Integrated Solutions
Sustainable school feeding, child nutrition, and community development.
ESMI connects policy, nutrition, agriculture, kitchens, food quality, and youth opportunity into one practical school feeding ecosystem.
School Feeding
School Feeding Systems Development
ESMI supports governments, schools, and communities in designing, strengthening, and institutionalizing sustainable school feeding systems.
Goal
To build sustainable, efficient, and scalable school feeding systems that improve child nutrition and education outcomes.
- Policy development and institutional strengthening
- Program design and governance
- Sustainable financing models
- Monitoring, evaluation, and advisory services
- Scalable school feeding systems
Our Impact at a Glance
Policy Leadership. Child Nutrition. Sustainable Impact.
Since 2013
Advancing sustainable school feeding systems in Ethiopia
Policy Leadership
Strengthening school feeding policies and institutional frameworks
Child Nutrition
Improving access to nutritious meals for school children
Education
Reducing hunger-related barriers to learning and school participation
Smart Agriculture
Connecting school feeding with climate-smart agriculture and local food supply chains
Youth Empowerment
Developing future agripreneurs and community leaders
Community Resilience
Building locally owned, sustainable school feeding systems
What ESMI Does
Policy leadership in school feeding systems
Child nutrition and school meal programmes
Education support through reduced classroom hunger
Smart agriculture and local food systems
Food quality and safe meal preparation
Youth empowerment in agripreneurship
Community-led school feeding models
Partnerships with governments, UNICEF, development partners, and local communities
IMPACT IN ACTION
Feeding dreams.
Fueling futures.
School Feeding
Sustainable School Feeding Systems
ESMI advances school feeding systems that address hunger, improve educational outcomes, and strengthen local food systems.
Ethiopia and future regional collaboration platforms
Nutrition
Child Nutrition and Healthy School Meals
ESMI supports access to nutritious meals that promote healthy growth, learning readiness, dietary diversity, and child wellbeing.
Improving child nutrition through school feeding
Women Empowerment
Women and Community Participation
ESMI promotes school feeding value chains that create employment, leadership opportunities, and stronger community ownership.
Supporting women, families, and local communities
Smart Farming
Strengthening Climate-Smart Food Production
ESMI promotes climate-smart agriculture, precision farming, water-efficient irrigation, soil management, digital agriculture, and agricultural innovation.
Sustainable food production for school feeding systems
Youth
Youth Empowerment in Agripreneurs
ESMI develops young people as future agripreneurs and food system leaders through leadership, entrepreneurship, digital skills, and innovation.
Preparing young people for agriculture, food systems, and community leadership
Community
Community-Owned School Feeding Models
ESMI promotes locally owned school feeding systems that strengthen community participation, support local livelihoods, and create sustainable solutions.
Building resilient communities through sustainable school feeding
ESMI works at the intersection of school feeding, child nutrition, agriculture, women’s economic empowerment, youth development, and community ownership.
Explore Programs
GLOBAL EXPANSION
Expanding sustainable school feeding solutions across East Africa and beyond.
To accelerate innovation, partnership, and sustainable development, ESMI is planning future regional and international collaboration platforms while continuing to strengthen its national programs and headquarters in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia Kenya Uganda South Sudan Washington, DC
Explore Global Expansion ET
EthiopiaNational HQ
National Headquarters — Program implementation, policy engagement, systems development, research, and innovation.
EA
Future East Africa OfficePlanned
Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan — Planned regional platform for school feeding innovation, youth empowerment in agripreneurs, smart farming, knowledge exchange, and cross-border collaboration.
US
Future International Office: Washington, DC, USAPlanned
Planned international platform for strategic partnerships, donor engagement, global advocacy, research collaboration, and resource mobilization.
NEWS & INSIGHTS
Stories from the field.
Strategic Partnerships
Stronger together.
Greater impact.
ESMI works alongside governments, United Nations agencies, development partners, foundations, academic and research institutions, private sector partners, schools, and local communities to strengthen school feeding systems, improve child nutrition, empower youth, and build resilient food systems.
Through strategic partnerships, ESMI transforms school feeding into a platform for education, economic growth, social inclusion, and long-term community resilience.