Wawira Njiru, Founder and CEO of Food4Education (F4E), an award-winning, locally rooted and African-led solution to end classroom hunger, has been named in the 2025 CNBC Changemakers: Women Transforming Business List, recognizing women whose accomplishments have left an indelible mark on the business world.
Now in its second year, the CNBC Changemakers list honors 50 pioneering women who have defied the odds, adopted innovative approaches to longstanding business challenges, and identified new opportunities for sustainable growth.
Wawira’s inclusion underscores her visionary leadership and F4E’s mission to scale sustainable, nutritious, and affordable school feeding programs across Africa.
Kristin Groos Richmond, F4E Board Chair and former CEO of Revolution Foods, praised Wawira’s leadership, stating: “Wawira is a transformational CEO that leads with a formidable combination of vision, heart and focus, all essential qualities for success when you’re forging a new system while delivering a solution that works for children – society’s most treasured assets. Under her leadership, F4E has consistently set new benchmarks for school feeding innovation, quality, and sustainability by taking a holistic, people-centered approach. She has sparked a new movement for locally-rooted, African-led school-feeding and we are proud to be on this journey with her.”
A Decade of Impact: From Passion Project to a Continental Movement
Thirteen years ago, Wawira founded F4E as a passion project to tackle childhood hunger in her hometown of Ruiru, Kenya, starting with just 25 children.
Today, the organization has reached another milestone, feeding 500,000 children daily with nutritious meals—enhancing education outcomes, creating jobs, and strengthening communities.
The organization’s fast-paced growth has also been powered by strategic investments in innovation including building Tap2Eat, a proprietary e-payments platform, and Giga Kitchen, Africa’s largest green kitchen, which delivers 60,000 meals daily using best-in-class clean cooking technology powered by eco briquettes and steam.
A trusted non-profit that operates with the efficiency and excellence of a world-class business, F4E has also forged a strategic alliance of philanthropic force, government commitment, and parent ownership to financially support its operations.
Wawira expressed gratitude for the recognition, saying: This recognition is not just a reflection of my work and the formidable team at Food4Education, but also of the changemakers on the ground who are pivotal in bringing our pan-African vision for a sustainable school feeding industry to life every day. From source to spoon, they ensure our solution is delivered with the care, consideration and compassion that Africa’s children deserve. Together, we can unlock the potential of a new generation together, ensuring no child is left behind.”
Driving Africa’s School Feeding Momentum
School feeding is more than a meal: it is one of the most effective investments in human capital anyone can make, a cornerstone of community development, and a pathway to a more equitable and prosperous future.
On a mission to change the school feeding status quo in Africa, where effective, locally led school feeding programs are rare, F4E is shaping a new school feeding industry and sharing its sustainable, scalable blueprint across Africa.
By 2030, F4E aims to expand into two new additional countries in Africa, working alongside future-focused governments and public sector leaders to nourish 3 million children and drive systemic change.
This acceleration comes as more African countries (70%) align their budgets and ambition to achieve universal school feeding, creating a timely opportunity to invest in Africa’s future, one hot, nutritious and affordable meal at a time.
