KATHMANDU, JUNE 23 The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) and World Food Program USA have announced a strategic partnership to expand Nepal's home-grown school feeding programme aimed at improving child nutrition and supporting local agriculture. The initiative follows a one-year pilot completed in 2025, during which LCIF and World Food Program USA jointly invested US$1 million and reached around 70,000 schoolchildren across Nepal. Under the new one-year programme for 2026-27, LCIF and WFP USA will jointly invest US$500,000 to support reliable school meal systems led by local governments and benefit around 70,000 children. The programme seeks to improve nutrition and learning outcomes, strengthen links between schools and smallholder farmers, and promote safer kitchens, better menus and resilient supply chains. Ministry of Education and Sports Secretary Choodamani Paudel said the home-grown school feeding approach would help ensure nutritious and locally sourced meals while creating stable markets for local farmers. WFP Nepal Country Director Riaz Lodhi said the initiative would accelerate Nepal's transition towards a nationally owned and sustainable school meals programme. The partnership also supports the government's Midday Meal Programme and efforts to reduce child malnutrition, improve school attendance and strengthen decentralised service delivery.