Lunchtime with WFP in Kaloleni

Together for Child Vitality

The partnership, called Together for Child Vitality, improves the nutrition and health of some of the world’s poorest school-aged children through WFP’s school feeding programme. As well as providing nutritious school meals which offer an extra incentive to get an education, the two organisations have also developed and implemented nutrition and hygiene education campaigns in schools.

The seven countries which currently benefit from this partnership are Kenya, Indonesia, Ghana, Colombia, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The only meal of the day

Kaloleni Primary is just one of 65 Kenyan schools which Unilever sponsors through the the partnership. Located in one of the country’s poorest districts, more than half of its students are orphans – many because their parents died of AIDS.

Despite it being school holidays, almost half of the school’s 1,000 pupils turned up in their school uniform to meet Paul. “That was obviously a wonderful experience,” he says. “The reason they come, frankly, is because it is their only opportunity for many of them to have access to a meal, often the only meal during the day.”

With the support of our margarine brands (e.g. Blue Band, Rama, Country Crock, Tulipan) as well as employee donations and fundraising activities, Unilever funded school meals for 76,000 children in Kenya, Ghana, Indonesia, Colombia, Pakistan and the Philippines for the entire 2008 school year. This year Together for Child Vitality aims to reach 100,000 children. Unilever also supports WFP through events such as World Food Day, as well as Walk the World and other local country and site initiatives.

Witnessing change

Paul explains that witnessing the results is a different and “amazing” experience: “It makes you feel incredibly proud. You see these children - obviously thanking Unilever. They had created songs for us!”

Experts estimate one billion people on the planet don't have enough to eat. Paul says due to the global economic crisis, the number of people failing to get access to food is increasing.

“This partnership we have with the World Food Programme makes a huge difference. We make a difference in their lives, and frankly you have tears in your eyes if you see that.”

A sound business case

Paul believes there is a sound business case for such partnerships, and for companies to do the right thing: “The first requirement is that that it grows our business. But we also have responsibilities to ensure that the environment in which we operate functions. We cannot be successful if society doesn’t function.”