Cisco - Scan, Eat, Learn: Wearable Devices Help Young Learners in Africa Thrive
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 18, 2025 / Cisco Systems Inc.: By Charu Adesnik60% of children in Kenya can't count on three meals a day. For children in underserved communities across Africa, education remains the surest path to a more …
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / June 18, 2025 / Cisco Systems Inc.:
By Charu Adesnik
60% of children in Kenya can't count on three meals a day. For children in underserved communities across Africa, education remains the surest path to a more secure future - and yet hunger inhibits learning and optimal development for a majority of the country's young people. It is much harder to learn on an empty stomach.
Wawira Njiru, Founder and Executive Director of Food4Education, understood from the start that technology was key to scaling up her operation dramatically enough to meet the daily nutritional needs of hundreds of thousands of young learners. Her organization created a deeply tech-based solution to help eliminate hunger and ensure that school-going children have access to a healthy meal.
Food4Education's innovative Tap2Eat system-a smart payment solution-ensures that children in Kenya receive nutritious meals at school. By using a wearable wristband linked to a mobile wallet, children can easily scan, eat, and focus on learning without worrying about hunger.
Scaling up from 3,000 to over 500,000 meals served daily
In 2018, Cisco awarded the Global Citizen Prize for Youth Leadership to Wawira to create and test this technology. At the time, the organization was feeding 3,000 children a day in Kenya. The funding enabled her organization to scale from feeding 3,000 children a day to 10,000 children a day while also developing their Tap2Eat app and platform.
In 2022, we provided a technology grant of Webex, Meraki, and Cisco Umbrella technologies. Our technology enables Food4Education to collect and use data analytics to enhance their operations and offerings, mitigate cyber threats, and securely connect their operations, platform, and program offerings. We also provided a cash grant to enable further development and scaling of their program to support 100,000 children a day.
Today, over 500,000 children can Tap2Eat lunch at school daily using the Tap2Eat mobile app and wristband. The wristband utilizes Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable seamless transactions, ensuring students receive meals without the need for cash or physical contact.
Sophisticated analytics and technology to optimize outcomes
The system also verifies meal delivery to children and sends real-time data directly to Food4Education's operational dashboards. This system ensures accurate tracking of meal quantities and uptake, enabling predictive analytics and more effective meal planning for the future.