Sodexo chef Stuart Bowman joins mission to improve school meals in The Gambia
Sodexo UK & Ireland’s , Stuart Bowman, recently returned from a week-long skills-based volunteering mission to The Gambia where he delivered valuable culinary training workshops aimed at improving the school feeding programmes at 422 schools.
The mission, organised through a long-term partnership between the World Food Programme (WFP) and Sodexo’s Stop Hunger Foundation, is part of Stop Hunger’s YEAH! (Your Engagement Against Hunger) mission programme which focuses on helping fight food insecurity and its root causes by empowering women and younger generations for a better future. Through YEAH!, Stop Hunger mobilises colleagues with diverse skills to share expertise where it can have the greatest impact.
While Stop Hunger’s work in the UK & Ireland is focused on creating local, community‑led impact, the Foundation also plays an international role by mobilising skills and expertise in partnership with global organisations such as WFP, where this can drive sustainable, long‑term change at scale.
This time, The Gambia was prioritised due to its large‑scale, government‑led school feeding programme, making it a high‑impact setting for targeted skills transfer. During his visit with WFP, Stuart trained local trainers, multiplying the reach of his intervention, and in turn supporting culinary staff of 422 schools, showing them how to produce tastier, healthier and more nutritious school meals
In addition to learning about kitchen practices such as knife skills and raw product handling, the training will also help with menu planning and how to take into account the seasonal availability of ingredients, their consumers preferences and nutritional requirements.
This was a chance in a lifetime. I am humbled and proud beyond belief of the delivery of our train the trainer programme in The Gambia.
The programme is so important and is empowering the participants to go out and pass on the knowledge and skills acquired to support schools as part of their home-grown school feeding programme.
I was truly inspired by everyone I met, their willingness to learn and their determination to ensure school children have access to nutritious meals every day was amazing.
In his day job, Stuart oversees early careers and apprenticeships and is a member of Sodexo’s senior Culinary Leadership team which is committed to instilling a culture of innovation, culinary development, ownership and operational excellence in every kitchen operated by Sodexo across the UK and Ireland.
Stop Hunger is the unique philanthropic cause of Sodexo. Since 2014, Stop Hunger has worked in partnership with WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organisation working to end hunger, as part of their shared mission to achieve zero hunger.
This model enables initiatives such as the YEAH! mission programme, combining funding with expertise to maximise impact on the ground. Thanks to the financial support of Sodexo and its enhanced volunteering policy, 100% of the donations made to Stop Hunger go directly to financing activities and sustainable solutions for a hunger free world.
In the UK & Ireland the Stop Hunger Foundation’s work is strategically aligned with the company’s Social Impact Pledge 2030 and mobilises colleagues, clients, and partners through skills‑based volunteering and partnerships that create positive lasting impact, both locally and globally.
This year marks the Foundation’s 20th anniversary in the UK & Ireland. Over the two decades the Foundation has supported almost 11 million people, raised over £10 million of funds, supported 470 charities and recorded over 54,000 volunteer hours by Sodexo colleagues, clients and supply partners providing both hands-on and skills-based support.
Find out more about Stop Hunger Foundation in the UK & Ireland