A DELICIOUS PROJECT WITH IMPACT

In the still-cool early mornings of rural Mozambique, even before the sun rises, the first KUKULA cooks begin to arrive. They join the local mothers and, surrounded by pots, pans, and laughter, they prepare breakfast and lunch for thousands of children who arrive at school with empty stomachs—but full of curiosity and eagerness to learn.
KUKULA – Mozambican school kitchens to nourish, grow, and learn is APOIAR’s school feeding programme, which provides one or two complete, nutritious, and free meals every day to all regular schoolchildren. Because we know that a well-fed child is a healthier child, better able to learn, and with a brighter future.
But this programme goes beyond the plate: it also drives hygiene, vaccination, and deworming campaigns, reinforcing our mission to promote the full well-being of children in Mozambique’s most vulnerable regions.

WHAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED SO FAR!

KUKULA is already present in three Mozambican provinces — Sofala, Niassa, and Tete — with 29 school kitchens built and 24 currently active. Thousands of meals are served daily, reaching over 10,000 children. In the kitchens directly managed by APOIAR alone, the daily average exceeds 7,000 meals.

These school kitchens are more than infrastructure: they are hubs of nutrition, community, and hope. Schools supported by KUKULA show significantly higher attendance rates than those without a meal programme.

SOFALA (8 school kitchens):
From Mafarinha to Macharote, including Inhaminga and Nhampuepua, these kitchens have been essential to their local communities, with many now managed by the schools themselves with ongoing support from APOIAR.

NIASSA (6 school kitchens):
Since 2015, this province has benefited from kitchens such as Mepapa, Nacalongo, and Lipusia — all of which remain active with APOIAR’s firm commitment.

TETE (15 school kitchens):
The most recent expansion of the KUKULA programme! Between 2022 and 2024, 15 new kitchens were built in this province — including Nkhame, Dunquene, Buaíra, and Dala — ensuring daily nourishment for thousands of children.

Our ambition: more meals, more schools, more children with a future.
We believe that tackling hunger at school is fighting absolute poverty. The KUKULA project is a concrete and effective response to an urgent problem. And we’re only just getting started.