As a coordinator for the Ministry of Education in Guyana, Mahendra managed the operation of the National Breakfast programme, throughout six of the ten administrative regions in Guyana. This programme provides consistent pipeline of food to schools, and 12,000+ children. For his CSP Practicum, Mahendra was placed at Growing Gardens in Portland, Oregon where he supported several agriculture and environmental programs. For his follow-on project in Guyana, Mahendra wants to develop a pilot Home Grown School Feeding program that will obtain food for school meals locally from smallholder farmers in order to support local agriculture, strengthen local food systems, and help lift people out of poverty.