A Plate of Hope: Growing Our Day Meal Program

In our work at Rukmini Foundation, we often say that keeping a girl in school takes more than books and uniforms. It takes mentorship, a safe space, and sometimes—something as simple as a warm meal.

We started our Day Meal Program back in 2017 at Kalidevi Secondary School. Even though I was not with the foundation at the time, it is still something that others in the team remember on the first day we served food. The children’s faces lit up. Attendance went up. Parents felt a little less burdened. And the students (girls and boys)—they could finally sit through the afternoon lessons without their stomachs growling.

Since then, we’ve been able to bring the program to a few more schools. And this year, we made a promise to ourselves: by the end of 2026, every one of our partner schools will have a lunch program either running or ready to begin.

So when we walked into Arunodaya Secondary School on the 13th of March to discuss expansion to more schools, the entire team was motivated and excited.

A Warm Welcome at Arunodaya

We were greeted by Principal Dilli Raj Panta and a group of teachers who didn’t just listen—they leaned in. They asked questions. They shared their own observations.

The team shared about how our plan to expand the lunch program started with support from AllPeopleBeHappy (APBH), how it grew through teacher exchanges, and how it has become a small but steady part of our work to make sure no child feels left out.

Then Teacher Rama Basnet spoke. Her words stayed with me: “Some children bring snacks to school. Others just watch because they don’t have pocket money. If this program comes, every child will be treated equally.”

Principal Panta nodded and said he would take the proposal to the School Management Committee. He didn’t promise overnight, but he promised to try. And in our line of work, that willingness means everything.

At Pharping: Turning Questions into Commitment

The next day, we went to Pharping Secondary School. Principal Rajesh Shrestha was honest with us—he hadn’t heard about the program before, and he wanted to know how it would work, especially with the budget.

So we sat and talked. I explained how we manage at Setidevi—how we bring vegetables from Kathmandu to keep costs low, how we work with parents and teachers together. I told him that once a program takes root, the whole community starts to own it.

By the end of our meeting, his hesitation had turned into a plan. “Within a month,” he said, “we will try to arrange a kitchen and a cook.”

Teacher Shree added, “Many of our students eat junk food. If this program comes, it will help not just the children, but also the parents. They will save time and money that goes into packing tiffin every day.”

I left that meeting feeling lighter. Not because everything was solved, but because we had taken another step forward.

Why This Matters

This year we set a goal: lunch programs in Shreekrishna, Pharping, Arunodaya, and Kamadhenu—all of them. Some people might see it as just a food program. But we know it’s more than that.

When a child is hungry, she cannot focus. When a family knows their daughter will get a proper meal at school, they are less likely to pull her out when times get hard. A meal program is not separate from education—it is education.

A Month of Strong Women

March is Women’s History Month. As I sat in those meetings, I found myself thinking about the women who make this work possible. The teachers who speak up for their students. The mothers who work in the fields and still find time to support their children’s schooling. The girls like Sonima Tamang, whose story we shared earlier—a young woman who held her family together and never stopped dreaming.

Sonima’s journey is a reminder: everything we do is connected. The meal program, the mentorship, the organic farming training for parents—it all feeds into the same goal. To give our girls a foundation so strong that no hardship can shake it.

Looking Ahead

We still have work to do. There are kitchens to build, cooks to find, agreements to finalize. But after visiting Arunodaya and Pharping, I feel hopeful.

By the end of this year, I believe every one of our partner schools will have a lunch program—either running or ready to start. And those meals will become more than just food. They will be a sign that this community, all of us together, refuse to let any child learn on an empty stomach.

If you’d like to support our Day Meal Program or learn more about our 2026 goals, please reach out. Every contribution helps us take one more step forward.