Annapurna Primary School teaches children aged from 4 to 12 years old and is located in the heart of the busy city of Pokhara. The school is a free government school meaning any child is free to attend. However, as the school receives very little funding from the government their facilities are poor. The school is attended by children from low income families who more often than not will receive their only hot meal of the day at school. Tika, a teacher at the school has noticed a major improvement in children’s attendance, in her class alone it has increased by a third, since they started to receive funding for the school lunchtime meals initiative.

The Street Children’s Centre cares for 11 children who have previously been living on the street; providing safe accommodation for them and offering stability and the opportunity to attend school. The Centre receive no government funding and are completely dependent on donations and volunteers from charities such as Pod. So our support enables the children to have a balanced diet to grow, develop and have the energy to focus on their education and enjoying themselves.

Prabhat Primary School is situated in a rural, mountainous area of Pokhara and is another free government school. The children attending this school mostly come from families of subsistence farmers and so often have little to no income. This makes it even more worthwhile for them to receive a hot meal every day at school as it has not just given them a guaranteed hot meal every day, but has resulted in an increase in children’s concentration in class and number of children regularly attending the school.

Ward 6 is a day care centre located in the city centre and is for low to middle income families. The day care centre provides vital care for children aged 6 months to 5 years old in a secure environment, giving local families the time to work with the knowledge that their children are safe. With the support from Outdoor365 Group the children receive a hot meal during the day at the centre, ensuring that they are receiving the vital nutrition that they need in order to grow.

Asha Children’s Home is located in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains and is home to 13 children. The home aims to be self-sufficient in the future, with the intention of developing farmland to grow their own food. The children at the Home cannot live with their own families for a variety of social reasons and so the home works hard to provide a safe and supportive environment in which they can grow. As the home works towards its goal of being self-sufficient, the food donations they receive are incredibly vital in ensuring that the children are all well fed and provided for at this vulnerable time.