Every morning, 120 children walk through the gates of our school in Shah Kot, Azad Kashmir.
They arrive carrying books, hopes and dreams for the future. They come ready to learn, eager to build a better life for themselves and their families. Yet for many of these children, there is something missing before the first lesson even begins.
Food.
For some pupils, the meal they receive at school is not simply lunch. It is the only proper meal they will eat that day. Without it, hunger follows them into the classroom, sits beside them at their desk and quietly steals their ability to learn.
No child should have to choose between education and hunger.
Yet for many children in Kashmir, that is their daily reality.
When people hear about school feeding programmes, they often imagine large numbers and distant communities.
This is different.
These are children in our school. Children whose names we know, whose progress we follow and whose futures we care deeply about. This is not a project happening somewhere far away. This is a school supported by Kashmir Welfare Foundation and run within a community we serve every day.
Located in Shah Kot on the Line of Control, many families face difficult economic circumstances. Employment opportunities are limited, living costs continue to rise and household budgets are stretched beyond their limits.
Despite these challenges, parents continue sending their children to school because they understand that education offers the best chance of escaping poverty.
We owe it to those children to ensure hunger does not stand in their way.
Many children travel long distances to reach school.
Some arrive without breakfast. Some have eaten very little since the previous evening. Others come from households where food insecurity is an everyday concern rather than an occasional problem.
Yet they still attend.
They still sit through lessons.
They still try to concentrate and learn.
The determination these children show is remarkable. However, determination alone cannot replace proper nutrition. A child who is hungry struggles to focus, struggles to retain information and struggles to participate fully in classroom activities.
Education requires energy.
Without food, even the brightest students face an uphill battle.
Hunger is not always visible.
It does not always appear in dramatic headlines or obvious statistics. Yet its impact can be seen every day in classrooms, homes and communities across Azad Kashmir.
Children experiencing malnutrition often struggle with concentration, memory and physical development. They become more vulnerable to illness and may miss valuable days of education because their bodies simply do not have the nutrition they need.
For many families, the challenge is not a lack of love or care.
The challenge is poverty.
When household budgets are stretched, parents are often forced to make impossible choices between food, heating, healthcare and education. No family should have to make those decisions, yet many do.
The effects of hunger are often subtle at first.
A child becomes quieter in class. Another struggles to concentrate during lessons. Attendance starts to become inconsistent. Homework is missed. Confidence begins to fade.
Teachers notice the signs.
Children who once participated enthusiastically become withdrawn. Students who have potential begin falling behind through no fault of their own. Energy levels drop and learning becomes increasingly difficult.
This is not a question of ability.
It is not a question of effort.
It is a question of nutrition.
A hungry child cannot learn as effectively as a child whose basic needs have been met.
One of those children was Zain.
When we first met him, he was frequently absent from school and struggled to engage in lessons. His teachers knew he had potential, but something was holding him back. He often appeared tired, quiet and disconnected from classroom activities.
Eventually, we discovered the reason.
Zain was surviving on one small meal a day.
His body lacked the nutrition needed to support healthy growth and learning. School was becoming increasingly difficult because his focus was directed towards something far more immediate than education.
Survival.
Through regular school meals, that began to change.
His attendance improved. His energy returned. He became more engaged in lessons and started interacting with his classmates once again. Today, Zain is learning, progressing and looking towards the future with hope.
The difference was not complicated.
It was food.
Providing a nutritious school meal may seem simple.
Yet its impact reaches every part of a child’s life.
A well-fed child can concentrate better during lessons. They have more energy to participate in activities and greater ability to absorb information. Their attendance improves because they are healthier and more motivated to attend school.
The benefits extend beyond the classroom.
Parents gain reassurance knowing their child will receive a meal during the day. Financial pressure is reduced. Families are better able to cope with the challenges they face.
A single meal creates a ripple effect that improves education, health and wellbeing simultaneously.
Our school meals programme provides children with warm, freshly prepared food using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible.
Meals are designed to be simple, nutritious and filling. They provide the energy children need to focus on learning and participate fully in school life.
For many pupils, this daily meal provides stability and consistency that may not always be available at home. It becomes something they can rely upon each day they attend school.
That consistency matters.
Children learn best when their basic needs are met. They thrive when they are healthy, nourished and able to focus on their education without the distraction of hunger.
Education remains one of the most powerful tools for tackling poverty.
However, education cannot succeed when children are hungry.
School meals help ensure that children remain in education, improve their academic performance and develop the skills they need to build brighter futures. By supporting nutrition today, we help create opportunities for tomorrow.
An educated child is more likely to become an independent adult. An independent adult is more likely to support their family and contribute positively to their community.
This is how cycles of poverty are broken.
Not through temporary solutions alone, but through investing in children’s futures.
Unlike many charitable projects, this need never stops.
Children need to eat every day.
Meals are required every school day, throughout the entire academic year. If support stops, the consequences are immediate. Attendance falls. Concentration suffers. Progress slows.
This is why regular support is so important.
Our school feeding programme is not a one-off intervention. It is a daily commitment to ensuring that every child in our care has the nutrition they need to learn, grow and succeed.
The impact is visible every single day.
Just £20 can provide school meals for a child for an entire month.
£360 can provide daily meals for one child throughout the school year.
Larger donations help sustain the programme across the entire school, ensuring all 120 children continue receiving the support they rely upon.
Every contribution matters.
Every donation provides nourishment.
Every meal creates opportunity.
Most importantly, every gift helps ensure that a child can focus on learning rather than hunger.
The children in our school already have determination.
They already have ambition.
They already have dreams for the future.
What they need is the support that allows those dreams to flourish.
By supporting our school meals programme, you can help remove one of the biggest barriers standing between a child and their education. You can help turn hunger into hope, absence into attendance and potential into achievement.
No child should learn hungry.
Together, we can make sure they never have to.
Your donation will provide nutritious daily meals for children in our school in Shah Kot, Azad Kashmir.
Help improve attendance. Strengthen education. Fight child hunger.
Most importantly, help ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn with dignity, confidence and hope.
Feed a child today and help build a brighter future.
Our school meals programme in Azad Kashmir provides daily, freshly prepared meals to 120 children attending our school. Meals are cooked locally and served on-site each school day. This ensures children receive consistent nutrition, improving their health, concentration, and ability to learn in a stable and supportive environment.
It costs just £1 to provide a single meal for a child in our school in Azad Kashmir. Around £20 per month covers daily school meals for one child. Your donation directly funds food, preparation, and delivery, ensuring children receive consistent nutrition throughout the school term.
Meals typically include freshly prepared rice or roti, lentils (daal), vegetables and meat, chicken or fish once a week. The food is simple, nutritious, and culturally appropriate. It is designed to provide energy, support healthy development, and help children stay focused and engaged during lessons at school.
School meals are essential because many children in Azad Kashmir face food insecurity and malnutrition. A daily meal improves concentration, boosts attendance, and supports physical and mental development. Without proper nutrition, children struggle to learn, making school feeding programmes critical for education and long-term wellbeing.
Yes. Your donation directly supports children in our own school in Azad Kashmir. We manage the programme locally, ensuring meals are prepared and delivered on-site. This direct approach means we know the children personally and can ensure your support reaches those who need it most.
Yes, monthly donations are one of the most effective ways to support our school meals programme. A regular contribution, such as £20 per month, ensures a child receives consistent daily meals. This stability allows us to plan ahead and provide uninterrupted support to all children in our school.
Providing school meals helps children concentrate better, attend school more regularly, and participate actively in lessons. When hunger is removed, children are able to focus on learning, improving their academic performance and long-term opportunities. Nutrition plays a key role in breaking the cycle of poverty through education.
School meals are both an immediate and long-term solution. They address daily hunger while supporting education, which is key to breaking poverty cycles. By keeping children in school and improving their development, school feeding programmes help create sustainable change for individuals, families, and communities.
Large organisations operate at massive scale, often providing basic meals at lower cost. Our programme delivers freshly prepared meals in a remote area of Azad Kashmir with limited infrastructure. We focus on quality, consistency, and direct impact within our own school, ensuring every child receives meaningful support. We also provide weekly meat, chicken or fish.
You can support by sharing this campaign, raising awareness about child hunger in Kashmir, or encouraging others to contribute. Every action helps. Whether through donations, fundraising, or advocacy, your involvement plays a vital role in ensuring children receive the meals and education they deserve.
No child should learn hungry. Help feed 120 children in our Kashmir school with daily…
