The World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development and Lions Clubs International, has launched the Nutri-School Bus 2.0, a mobile nutrition and education campaign targeting at least 183,000 people across Uganda’s Karamoja region.
The campaign, running until October 26, 2026, will visit schools and communities across all nine districts of Karamoja, providing nutrition education, gender-responsive engagement and community accountability activities.
The initiative is being rolled out as the region faces significant food insecurity and growing concerns over child malnutrition.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Food Insecurity Analysis, about 473,000 people in Karamoja faced acute food insecurity at Crisis level or worse (IPC Phase 3 or above) between April and July 2026. Of these, about 41,000 people were classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
All nine districts in Karamoja were classified in Crisis.
The IPC assessment attributed the situation to climatic shocks, reduced or failed crop and livestock production, pests and diseases, and high food prices.
The analysis further estimated that 122,100 children aged between six and 59 months would experience acute malnutrition between March 2026 and February 2027, including 30,600 children projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.
The Nutri-School Bus 2.0 will reach 64 government-aided primary schools across the nine districts, using schools as platforms to extend nutrition education and community engagement beyond the classroom.
The campaign is built around three main pillars: school nutrition, gender inclusion and community engagement.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony at Kasimeri Primary School in Moroto, WFP Uganda Deputy Country Director Marcus Prior said the campaign had significantly expanded its reach from last year.
The Nutri-School Bus visited 19 schools in six districts in 2025. This year, it will reach 64 schools across all nine districts of Karamoja.
Prior said WFP and the Government of Uganda have provided school meals in Karamoja for more than three decades. The current home-grown school feeding programme reaches about 221,000 children in 284 schools, with food sourced from local farmers.
“As part of WFP’s response to the worsening food insecurity, learners also received take-home rations at the end of last term to help protect them and their families from the worst impacts of the drought,” Prior said.
He said the new campaign builds on existing school-feeding efforts by linking nutrition with gender equality and community participation.
Under the school nutrition component, the campaign will promote dietary diversity and the protection of school meals, including efforts to prevent food loss and ensure meals reach the children for whom they are intended.
The gender component will promote equitable food sharing at home and at school while engaging boys, fathers and teachers in supporting girls’ attendance, participation and continued learning.
The community engagement component will include more than 640 cooking demonstrations led by Village Health Teams and lead mothers. The sessions will promote the use of locally available nutrient-dense foods and clean cooking methods, alongside discussions with men and community elders.
Prior said the campaign should ultimately be judged by the lasting changes it creates in communities rather than the number of people attracted to the bus.
He said activities surrounding the campaign are intended to turn public attention into knowledge, changes in social norms and sustained action.
The initiative will provide teachers, learners, school nutrition clubs, parents, caregivers, community members and elders with practical information and tools to improve cooking and feeding practices at school and at home.
Prior also stressed the importance of protecting school meals at a time when failed rains have contributed to worsening food insecurity.
He said safeguarding food provided to children at school should be a shared responsibility involving schools, families and communities.
The chief guest, Minister of State for Karamoja Affairs in the Office of the Prime Minister, Esther Anyakun Davinia, said communities across all nine districts were facing severe food insecurity.
“More than half a million people in Karamoja are deeply affected by the current food insecurity crisis. Thousands of young children, aged between six months and 49 months, are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in the coming months till February 2027,” Anyakun said.
She said hunger was also affecting children’s education by contributing to poor attendance and disrupted learning.
“When a child is hungry, the consequences ripple far beyond their health. Hunger follows them directly into the classroom. It manifests in empty desks, poor attendance and disrupted learning. We cannot expect our children to build the future of Uganda on an empty stomach,” Anyakun said.
Anyakun also highlighted government’s emergency response in July 2026, when 6.2 million kilogrammes of maize and 3.1 million kilogrammes of beans were distributed to 314,000 households affected by the food crisis in Karamoja.
She said, however, that emergency food assistance alone could not address the underlying and longer-term challenges facing children and communities in the region.
Anyakun described the Nutri-School Bus initiative as an important long-term intervention that could complement government programmes by supporting children’s nutrition, learning and development.
At Kasimeri Primary School, Obalim Frances Betty, patron of the school’s Nutrition Club, said the campaign’s gender-focused nutrition sessions were encouraging boys to participate in activities they had previously considered to be for girls.
She said the initiative would also help learners understand the importance of fairness when food is served, including ensuring that boys and girls receive equal portions.
Koriang Daniel, a Primary Seven head prefect at Kasimeri Primary School, said pupils hoped the campaign would help them learn more about irrigation and practical ways of keeping school gardens and orchards productive during dry periods.
Prior reaffirmed WFP’s commitment to supporting communities in Karamoja through emergency food assistance, social protection and resilience-building initiatives as the region continues to face food insecurity and drought-related challenges.
