Jenny PerezExecutive Director, Herbalife Nutrition Foundation
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, child nutrition and feeding programs around the world are facing challenges they had never encountered before. How can we continue to support children and families in need during this pandemic?
At the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation (HNF), we work with our partners to make sure children in vulnerable situations have access to nutritious food, education, and care. We want every child, no matter the background, to have boundless opportunities.
The members of our Casa Herbalife Nutrition program – through which we leverage local initiatives and partner with existing charities to provide healthy meals and nutrition education to children and families around the world – have shown a tremendous commitment to continue their work during these times of uncertainty.
How Casas Are Adapting to the Pandemic
We currently support 171 Casas Herbalife Nutrition, and though they are located all over the world, they have all faced similar challenges due to COVID-19. The most common challenges have been:
- Suspending in-person activities, such as cooking classes, physical activities, and after-school programs.
- Figuring out a safe, alternative way to distribute meals to children.
- The rising costs of increasing cleaning measures and supplies.
Funding should be allocated where it is needed the most, which is why our Casas have reallocated resources to overcome some of these challenges.
Here are some examples of how our partners are adjusting their approach:
- In Malaysia, Yayasan Chow Kit used some of its funds to purchase groceries every week, providing food for at least 150 families.
- In Colombia, FundaciĂłn Pocalana shifted its model: instead of providing individual meals to kids, they now deliver a comprehensive food package to families every 10 days to fight malnutrition in the community.
- In Ohio, USA, the Children’s Hunger Alliance began providing meals to after-school sites and a handful of other locations that could accept food deliveries and coordinate staff to hand out meals in a “grab and go” serving model.
- In Italy, Casa Oz activated a network with other local entities that deal with the supply of food, medicine, and other essentials, and has been able to consistently support 25 families in need.
We’ve also come across some great stories about shifting in-person education to a virtual space.
- In Australia, Sunshine Butterflies launched Butterfly TV, a weekly video call get together where kids are involved in activities such as cooking classes, art and drama activities, storytelling, and singing.
- In California, USA, Heart of Los Angeles has adapted its services to a remote model that includes offering its successful Healthy Cooking class virtually, with Chef Alex Nataren producing weekly videos featuring new recipes. Thus far, participation has been extremely high, even exceeding pre-pandemic rates!
HNF Success Stories: Helping Kids Reach Their Full Potential
We are inspired by the alternatives our partners have found to continue supporting children and their families. Our goal has always been to provide nutritious food and nutrition education for children to reach their full potential.
Here are two inspiring stories from our Casa programs showing why the work of HNF is so important:
Andreza, the Soccer Player
Andreza was 16 years old when she moved to Aldeias Infantis SOS (AIS), one of our Casa Herbalife Nutrition partners in Brazil. Her family was not able to provide the necessary education and nutrition for her to succeed in sports, but when she first came to AIS, the staff was very excited because they have never seen such a talented soccer player.
They encouraged her to study and practice every day, gave her access to better nutrition to improve her performance, and took her to multiple competitions around Iguassu. Today, we are happy to say that Andreza has won several race medals at Iguassu and that she was one of the 14 girls chosen out of 200 girls to integrate the junior soccer team of Sport Clube Do Recife, one of the largest soccer teams in the region!
Marc, the Enthusiastic Cook
A Place Called Home (APCH) is one of our Casa Herbalife Nutrition partners in Los Angeles. When Marc arrived as part of a summer program that aims to provide teens with job readiness support and internship placements, he wasn’t very enthusiastic.
However, that slowly changed as Marc began excelling inside and outside of the kitchen. He came out of his shell and started independently interacting with everyone. He became invested and was committed to the learning process.
On the last day of his internship, Marc requested to make lunch to thank the staff. Without anyone’s assistance, Marc made shrimp linguine and banana cream pudding, two of his personal favorites, for everyone. The staff agreed that it was a humbling experience to see Marc grow so much in a short time.
To learn more about our Casa program and how you can help, please visit HerbalifeNutritionFoundation.org