Nestle Nigeria as part of its efforts to encourage healthy living and a cleaner environment, has launched its Nestlé for Healthier Kids (N4HK) initiative, which aims to help 50 million children globally lead healthier lives by 2030
Under this initiative, Nestle organized a sustainability training in collaboration with the International Climate Change Development Initiative (ICCDI) for schools. The maiden edition of the training reached more than 150 children in primary 5 classes at St Paul’s Anglican School, Obafemi Owode, and Salvation Army Primary School 1, Agbara.
For six weeks, the children were trained on a more sustainable approach to managing and recycling waste, in a bid to instill responsible behaviors and enable them to become better agents of the environment.
Victoria Uwadoka, Corporate Communications, and Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Nigeria, said, learning about simple measures for preserving the integrity of the environment like waste sorting and conversion of waste to useful products are valuable lessons for children enabling them inculcate the right habits at an early age.
“As a company, we are committed to protecting the environment for future generations. Equipping children with the right information to develop healthy lifestyles is a key part of achieving this commitment. We hope to extend the reach and scale of the training in the near future”, she said.
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Olumide Idowu, founder, ICCDI said, such early training for children do not only help to address the challenge of indiscriminate litter of the environment, but also assist with the reduction in the use of wood from trees by 70 percent ultimately protecting the environment
“Through the training, the children are better informed on their responsibilities in caring for the environment, the practical sessions were particularly instructive with the children learning about recycling as they created useful items like side tables out of waste pet bottles,” he said
Olusegun Alade, Director, Social Mobilization, Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board commended the efforts of Nestle in encouraging recycling activities and a cleaner environment noting its importance especially in period characterized by health threats.
“It is heart-warming to see children create functional items out of waste materials. I strongly encourage the children to utilize the knowledge acquired in the last six weeks not only in school but also at home particularly during the forthcoming holidays,” he said.
In Nigeria, N4HK incorporates a school-based nutrition education program, which helps children imbibe healthy habits including good nutrition, active lifestyles through adequate physical activity, good hygiene practices and healthy hydration.
