Maji Plus

Maji Plus is a government led initiative to address water and energy challenges in schools across Kenya’s arid and semi arid regions. The programme will equip 1,300 primary and secondary schools with rainwater harvesting systems and solar lighting, creating the conditions forclimate adapted school meals, school gardens and food production solutions. The programme is inspired by Brazil’s “Cisterns” program, the largest and most successful climate resiliency program ever implemented in that country. By using low cost water harvesting technologies that can be implemented using locally sourced materials and labor, and which can also be socially learned and spontaneously replicated in households and small-holder farms, Maji-Plus hopes to transform the lives of vulnerable children and families, and girls, providing year-round access to water in ASAL regions while driving local economies. By integrating agriculture and nutrition education into school life, it will turn schools into hubs for sustainability and local development. Aligned with Kenya’s broader social inclusion strategies, national school meals programme and national climate adaptation goals, the initiative also seeks to improve learning and nutrition outcomes, particularly for girls, while strengthening resilience, food security, and poverty reduction in vulnerable regions.