The Government of Uganda, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and Lions Club International, has launched the Nutri-School Bus, a mobile nutrition education campaign aimed at fighting malnutrition and increasing school enrollment in the Karamoja region.
The initiative was officially flagged off by Minister of State for Gender and Culture, Peace Regis Mutuuzo, during the Karamoja Cultural Festival 2025. The bus will serve as a traveling classroom, educating communities on the importance of school feeding programs and proper child nutrition.
“We recognize that children are the most important investment Karamoja can have,” said James Kingori, Head of the WFP Karamoja Area Office.
“This campaign is designed not only to fight hunger but to strengthen food security and improve children’s health.”
The Nutri-School Bus will tour 19 primary schools across Karamoja over a 14-day roadshow, directly reaching between 8,600 and 15,400 people. Each stop includes a 1.5-hour session for students, teachers, and community members, featuring interactive lessons, nutrition games, and a WFP documentary.
WFP currently supports 320 schools in the region, serving daily meals to 255,000 children. Kingori noted that while food assistance continues, the organization is also shifting toward community empowerment, encouraging households to grow and supply their own nutritious food.
“The bus is a way of encouraging out-of-school children to attend classes while promoting daily nutritious meals. We also want to show communities that with basic technologies and support, they can achieve food self-sufficiency,” Kingori added.
Minister Mutuuzo highlighted that the government is investing in purchasing locally grown food from Karamoja to support school feeding programs, thereby creating markets for local farmers while keeping children nourished. She urged school leaders to integrate nutrition education into their regular classroom and club activities to ensure sustainability after the campaign ends.
The Nutri-School Bus initiative is funded through a $1 million grant from the Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF). According to Professor Lawrence Mugisha, Second Vice District Governor of Lions Club District 411B, Uganda, the campaign has already reached over 365 schools in its first year.
“Hunger is one of our global service areas. This partnership with WFP is unique and impactful. We are now moving toward sustainable approaches, ensuring that Karamoja can become a food basket for the region,” Prof. Mugisha said.
The campaign underscores a larger strategy to address the root causes of food insecurity and poor school attendance in Karamoja, a region long affected by poverty and malnutrition. Stakeholders hope that through education, empowerment, and local investment, the region can achieve both nutritional independence and improved educational outcomes.
