Discover our mission!

Our purpose at Malaika Kitchens is to unlock the full potential of every child in Kenya through the transformative power of a sustainable, nourishing warm meal. We believe that a healthy meal isn’t just sustenance—it’s a catalyst for education, well-being, and the realization of dreams. By ensuring no child’s learning is compromised by hunger, we envision schools as beacons of health and learning, fostering communities where children thrive, learn, and grow into leaders who can shape a brighter future for Kenya and beyond.

Our goals are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable development goals

5000+ Meals provided daily

Meals covering ⅓ of daily nutritional requirements

Proven impact on KCPE scores

Hiring cooks & farmers from the community

Procuring ingredients from local farmers

Partnering with government and private institutions

If you want to learn more about the relationship between school meals and UN SDGs click here

Learn more

Our Journey

2020

Founding of FarmWorks

In 2020, FarmWorks was launched with the mission to unlock Africa's agricultural potential. By establishing clusters of mid-sized farms and collaborating with thousands of small-holder farmers, we aimed to create direct linkages to local and global markets.

November 2021

Malaika Kitchens is born

Recognizing the need expressed by schools to develop and manage their own food programs, we launched Malaika Kitchens as a "Sister program" to FarmWorks. Our focus shifted to the demand side of the food system value chain, believing that nutritious meals could significantly enhance children's learning and growth

January 2022 - May 2022

Proof of Concept

Through piloting in two schools in Kirinyaga county, we refined our operational mechanics, developed crisis management protocols, and learned from our mistakes.

May 2022 - May 2023

Early Expansion

Expanding to three additional schools, we broadened our impact, reaching more children and fostering hope within families and communities. Notably, our pilot schools soared to the top five in local performance ratings.

June 2023

Institutionalizing Malaika Kitchens

Welcoming a full-time local Executive Director marked a strategic advancement for our ever-growing team!

June 2024

One million meals served

Two and a half years after the first small pilot project our partner schools have now served one million meals to young learners across Kirinyaga.

December 2024

Purity Gakuo joining us as our new Executive Director

With her strong background in building reliable structures and teams and a deep commitment to supporting you learners, we are excited for Purity to shape the coming years!

April 2025

onwards

Digital monitoring is now our standard

Together with our fantastic partner BaoTree we tailored a monitoring app to our needs and introduced it broadly.

January 2026

onwards

Partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation

We are excited to be working on and learning about clean cooking, digital payments and school farms over the course of 2026!

Meet our team

Introducing our “small” yet mighty team at Malaika Kitchens! Committed to community-centric school meal programs, our efficient leads work tirelessly to support schools and communities in program design and implementation.

Purity Gakuo

Executive Director

Leads strategic growth, oversees operations and drives fundraising efforts with aim to sustainably impact more rural schools and provide scalable solutions for child nutrition.

Christine Njihia

Senior Program Officer

Ensures the heartbeat of our program resonates flawlessly within schools and communities every single day

Onesmus Mwendwa

Financial Accountant

Keeps our books balanced and the school budgets in check with precision and flair

Bilha Kiragu

Program Officer

Ensures things run smoothly behind the scenes, making sure our program is a success.

Sharon Njeri

Program Officer

Leads the day-to-day coordination of Malaika Kitchens’ school programs, ensuring smooth delivery and quality standards.

Kelvin Muigai

Program Officer

Monitors program performance and supports data collection to strengthen accountability and transparency.

Ferdinand Kasiti

Team driver

Drives us to every school safely and with a smile, making every journey a pleasant one.