In 2020 the Government of Nepal launched the National Mid-Day Meal Program, providing free meals to students up to Grade 5. Students in Grades 6–12 are not covered, and in many remote areas they have to walk home at lunchtime – leading to lower attendance, fatigue and weaker learning.
Through the Hot Meal Program, Sowers Action Nepal provides a subsidy of NPR 22.5 per student per day so that schools can prepare and serve meals to the students the government programme does not reach. At Shree Laxmi Narayan Secondary School in Namobuddha, 168 students benefited in FY 2024–25.
Participating schools have reported notable improvements in attendance, punctuality and classroom engagement.
Figures from the Sowers Action Nepal Annual Report, FY 2024–25 (FY 2081–82 BS).