Problem

Many secondary school students struggle to get nutritious meals, and as a mother, I see how important it is for them to eat well to stay focused in class. That’s why I’m starting Fatma's NutriMeals, a catering business that will provide affordable, healthy lunches to students. By working with local farmers to source fresh ingredients, I aim to ensure students have access to balanced meals every day, helping them perform better in school.

Goals

My project is to start a catering business that provides healthy and affordable meals to secondary school students. I will oversee everything, from meal planning to sourcing fresh ingredients from local farmers. My mother will help with cooking, and food assistants will help serve and clean. We’ll work closely with schools to make sure students get nutritious meals every day.

Plan

The grant funds will be used to purchase kitchen equipment like stoves, large pots, utensils, and gas cylinders. This will be done in the first two weeks. In weeks 3-4, I will buy ingredients such as rice, beans, vegetables, and packaging materials. This setup will allow us to start preparing and serving healthy meals to secondary school students.

Needs & Funds

The grant funds for the catering business will cover essential kitchen equipment such as cooking stoves, large pots, utensils, serving trays, plates, and other essentials, along with gas cylinders or energy-efficient stoves for cooking, at an estimated cost of $240, to be purchased in Week 1-2. Additionally, the funds will cover the initial stock of food items, including rice, beans, vegetables, meat, oil, and spices, as well as disposable serving containers if required, at an estimated cost of $100 in Week 3. The total cost is estimated at $340.

Vision

The catering business will improve student nutrition by providing healthy, balanced meals, leading to better health and academic performance. It will also increase school attendance by offering reliable meal services. In the long run, the business aims to become sustainable by securing school meal contracts, creating local job opportunities, and eventually expanding into a restaurant to serve the wider community.