Karamoja School-feeding Programme

Karamoja has the lowest literacy rates in Uganda. Only 31 per cent of the population 18 years and above is able to read and write compared to a national average of 68%.

The net student school enrolment ratio is at 57 percent compared to the national average of 82 percent. Only 6% of the children in the region are routinely provided with breakfast before being sent to school.

With the support of Irish Aid, the World Food Programme (WFP) provides food to all primary and secondary schools in Karamoja, reaching more than 100,000 children each year with at least one meal a day – a mid-morning snack or lunch. The food has been a ‘pull factor’ for decades in the region, encouraging children to enroll in school, attend class regularly and finish their studies.

In 2014, Irish Aid contributed €230,000 to the programme.