A growing number of Czech parents are unable to cover the cost of school lunches for their children.
The non-profit initiative Lunches for Children (Obědy pro děti), run by Women for Women, cites divorce, job loss, or serious illness as the primary causes driving families to apply for help. Even state food subsidies are proving insufficient.
At the start of this school year, demand for support is especially steep. Between January and September, the program aided nearly 16,000 pupils through cooperation with more than 1,150 schools and cafeterias nationwide.
Participation rose by about 15 percent compared with the same period last year, with sharp increases in Prague and the Ústí nad Labem region. A typical lunch costs 30–50 crowns, but for older students, monthly totals can exceed 1,000 crowns.
Under Women for Women’s rules, schools help identify children in need. Class teachers, principals, and canteen managers evaluate applications based on factors such as low income, single-parent status, or sudden financial crisis. Schools apply on behalf of families; funding is granted under donation agreements and routed directly to the schools (not to parents).
The heaviest wave of applications arrives each September, when the new school year begins. In more strained regions, quota limits have already been reached. The Ministry of Education endorses the project as a model of effective public–nonprofit partnership.
Marta Hekl, the organization’s director, emphasizes that the school lunch is more than nourishment: “Children feel part of a community, gain confidence, and receive the energy they need for learning.” Nejedlá adds that even in Prague, the country’s wealthiest region, applications have risen by 20 percent, as living costs outpace wages.
Historically, need is greatest in regions burdened by high unemployment and social difficulties—especially Ústí nad Labem and Karlovy Vary.
Some corporate donors also back the program. For instance, ADM Olomouc offered a significant grant to the Lunches for Children project, helping nearly 100 children eat lunch with their peers all year.
