According to the non-profit organization Women for Women (W4W), one in six children in the Czech Republic will not be able to eat lunch in the school cafeteria this year due to financial reasons, which is an increase from one in eight last year.

W4W provides free meals to schoolchildren through the “W4W: Lunch for Children” project and expects to pay for lunches for up to 20,000 children this year. The organization is not the only one providing free meals for children from low-income families; other organizations and institutions also have programs in place. Last year, W4W paid for lunches for 18,765 students, which was 30% more than in 2021, and the organization expects that number to be even higher this year.

Teachers and school principals are responsible for identifying children in need and the organization pays for its project with donors and a grant from the Ministry of Education.

Article by Prague Forum