How Save the Children’s USDA-Funded School Meal Programme expands its impact for children in Colombo
While Sri Lanka is on the road to economic recovery, the brunt of the crisis still trails behind in the lives of families and children. The aftermath of the crisis saw heightened food insecurity and an increase in household poverty. Families have explained the high costs of feeding their children daily nutritious meals and are seeking solutions to help mitigate these circumstances.
Subhi*, is a mother from Colombo, where the cost of living is notably higher compared to other districts in the country. Her daughter attends a primary school that is part of the Government’s National School Meal Programme. She says:
“Expenses for my child cost nearly Rs. 70,000 each month, but the income I receive from working daily is only Rs. 1500-2000. This has become very difficult to manage.”
Parents of children from the Colombo District, Sri Lanka. Credit: Sejani Wilegoda/Save the Children.
According to 2024 data from the Family Health Bureau, 17% of children under the age of five are underweight, 10.5% are stunted, and 9.3% are wasted [1]. This highlights the urgent need for continued efforts to address barriers to a child’s progress, and a reminder that hunger isn’t just about food - It’s about children being able to learn, grow, and show up every day to school with energy and focus.
A school meal that does so much more
Amidst these socio-economic challenges, important initiatives and programmes have strategically stepped in to support the Government’s existing National School Meal Programme. Through a six-party government MoU, our programme, supported by USDA, aims to reach over 200,000 school children in 973 primary schools and over 20,000 children under five years in 500 preschools in 8 districts in the country, with the primary goal of improving children's literacy and nutrition while reducing short-term hunger and enhancing student attendance and attentiveness in classrooms.
In late 2024, the programme extended to urban schools in the Colombo North area, where daily realities for families are especially tough. Children are from single-parent households, whose parents mostly rely on irregular daily wage work, which isn’t always available.
At a school in Colombo, 59 young primary grade children – both girls and boys - now receive a nutritious morning meal, including fortified rice and canned pink salmon, provided through the programme.
Previously, according to the school principal, the school experienced consistent drops in student attendance, averaging 60-70% in early 2024 [2].
School Meal Providers are the drivers of this programme – they prepare the morning meals for these students. One School Meal Provider (SMP) recalled a powerful moment with a young boy:
“I once saw a child look reluctant to eat the egg I had served him. I wondered why he kept it aside, so I asked. He said, ‘If I eat it, it will finish, so I want to eat it slowly’. It was sad to grasp that he found a boiled egg a luxury.”
In August 2024, the school was included in the Government’s National School Meal Programme (NSMP) and with Save the Children's support beginning in October 2024, attendance soared to 85-95% in 2025 for the 59 students at this school [3]. Teachers and parents in Colombo have observed that the nutritious morning meals have led to children being more active and engaged in the classroom, and there has been a reduction in health-related absences.
The story from this school echoes across hundreds of others. As of 2025, over 100,000 primary grade schoolchildren across eight districts are receiving daily, protein-rich morning meals through Save the Children’s USDA funded programme.
Children themselves say they feel the difference:
“We didn’t have much energy in the classroom before. Most of our parents didn’t make breakfast, they would sometimes buy us food from a shop. Now, after our breakfast, we even have energy to play.”
As Sri Lanka further strengthens its effort to build long-term recovery and resilience, programmes like this offer a reminder- invest in children. When they have the nourishment they need, they have the power to thrive, in the classroom and beyond.
A student receives a morning school meal in the Colombo District. Credit: Sejani Wilegoda/Save the Children
{1] Family Health Bureau, Sri Lanka - Nutrition Month Summary Report - 2024
[2] 2024 data from school registry at the Methodist Tamil Vidyalaya, Colombo.
[3] 2025 data from school registry at the Methodist Tamil Vidyalaya, Colombo.
[4] Save the Children’s attendance data collection report for the USDA-funded programme in Sri Lanka, February 2025.
Written by Sejani Wilegoda and Chrruti Pieres.
