The Government of Uganda, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Lions Club International, has launched the Nutri-School Bus, a new initiative aimed at fighting malnutrition and boosting school enrollment in the Karamoja region.
The bus, flagged off by Minister of State for Gender and Culture Peace Regis Mutuuzo during the Karamoja Cultural Festival 2025, is a mobile educational unit designed to raise awareness about the importance of school feeding programs.
Minister Mutuuzo announced that the government is channeling resources to purchase food grown in Karamoja to feed local schools. This initiative creates a market for farmers while keeping children fed. She urged school leaders to integrate the nutrition program into school clubs and classrooms to ensure its sustainability after the bus concludes its project.
"We do recognize children are the most important investment Karamoja can have," said James Kingori, head of the WFP Karamoja Area Office.
He noted that the campaign is designed to "not only fight hunger but also strengthen long-term food security and improve children's health."
The campaign will directly reach between 8,600 and 15,400 people through school visits. WFP currently supports 320 schools across Karamoja’s nine districts, providing meals to 255,000 children.
Kingori explained the purpose of the campaign bus. "The bus is an initiative we are having... to make sure that children who are not attending school come to school to learn, but also provide an opportunity to give them that nutritious meal every day.”
He added: “We are supporting schools with food, but more importantly, we have shifted our approach toward empowering communities to produce enough food for their children at the household level. Karamoja has great potential, and we want to demonstrate that with basic technologies and the right support, the population can feed itself.”
Professor Lawrence Mugisha, second vice district governor of Lions Club District 411 B, Uganda, said the project is funded by a $1 million grant from the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) and has been underway for one year.
"Hunger is one of our key service areas globally," Mugisha said. He described the partnership with WFP as a unique collaboration that has already provided daily meals to over 365 schools in the region.
Prof. Mugisha highlighted the campaign's shift toward sustainability, stating that the initiative is now focused on "sustainable approaches of ensuring that Karamoja can also produce its own food and become a food basket."
The Nutri-School Bus has since embarked on a 14-day roadshow, visiting 19 primary schools across various districts. At each school, a 1.5-hour session is conducted for 50-100 students, teachers, and community members. The sessions feature interactive lessons on nutrition, hands-on activities, and a WFP documentary.
