A 13-cent lunch is keeping 3 million Nepali children in school

Nepal's mid-day meal programme — funded at about 13 cents per child per day, with $66.8 million earmarked for the 2026/27 school year — now feeds close to 3.3 million children across 29,000 community schools in all 77 districts. Teachers say the free lunch keeps children coming to class, many of whom arrive on empty stomachs, and sharpens their focus once they are there.