Kenyan activist Wawira Njiru wins Deutsche Afrika-Preis for feeding 660,000 schoolchildren

Wawira Njiru, a 35-year-old social entrepreneur from Kenya, has been awarded the Deutsche Afrika-Preis 2026 for her work with Food4Education, an organisation that provides subsidised hot meals to schoolchildren across Kenya. The prize, presented by the German Africa Foundation, recognises outstanding contributions to African development. Njiru's programme currently feeds more than 660,000 children at over 1,900 schools throughout Kenya. The organisation uses technology to streamline food delivery, keep costs low and ensure nutritional quality. Njiru founded Food4Education in 2012 after recognising that hunger was a major barrier to educational attendance and performance among poor children. The Deutsche Afrika-Preis is one of the most prestigious awards focusing on the African continent, given annually to individuals making exceptional contributions. Njiru said the award would help raise international awareness of the food insecurity affecting millions of African children, and pledged to expand the programme to reach one million children within the next two years.