Mondelez Philippines partners with Rise Against Hunger
In the Philippines, undernutrition is a big problem. According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, 31.2% of children aged 5-10 years old are underweight (2015). This means that almost a third of children do not get the right nutrition for their growing minds and bodies.
With this challenge in mind, Mondelez Philippines works to help provide access to fresh food to children in need. Most recently, it has partnered with Rise Against Hunger, an organization focused on helping end hunger, improve food security and reduce food wastage.
“Our initiatives include feeding programs for schools in locations nationwide, community food donations and the Good Food Grocer,” shares Jomar Fleras, Executive Director of Rise Against Hunger Philippines. “The Good Food Grocer is the first food bank social franchise in the Philippines.” A food bank is a place where stocks of food are supplied free to people in need.
“Located in Taguig City, we accept donations of food from companies and individuals. We then provide these to families in need. We also provide livelihood programs to develop food products, establish community gardens as a source of fresh food and provide nutrition education classes to help improve cooking and eating practices,” Fleras continues.
As a global food company, maker of the world’s favorite snacks like Tang powdered beverage, Mondelez Philippines is committed to the same cause as Rise Against Hunger. “We have similar goals of helping families and communities to receive good nutrition and avoid hunger,” explains Shanahan Chua, Head of Corporate and Government Affairs of Mondelez Philippines. “Together with Rise Against Hunger Philippines, we hope to extend our well-being efforts to more Filipino families and help address the issue of malnutrition. We are extremely excited about this partnership since it’s a great extension of our Joy Schools community program.” Since the start of the partnership between Mondelez Philippines and Rise Against Hunger, 3,400 children and 700 families have benefitted from the initiative.
Mondelez Philippines also implements the Joy Schools program. Established in 2011, the program aims to provide a daily nutritious meal to undernourished public elementary students. To date, 4,500 children have benefitted from a daily 9-month feeding program, helping improve their nutritional status, attendance in school and academic performance.
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