5,000 Pupils to benefit from Nestle programme

More than 5,000 pupils are to benefit from the Nestle Kids Global Programme.

The beneficiaries would be drawn from four districts in the Ashanti, Eastern and Northern regions.

The Nestlé Healthy Kids Global Programme is being implemented in partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Nutrition and Food Science Department of the University of Ghana.

Since the programme was launched in 2011, more than from 4,000 pupils in the Agona East and Juaboso districts in the Central and Western regions, as well as the University of Ghana basic schools have benefited from it.

Under the programme, the beneficiary pupils are trained by lecturers from the Food Science Department of the University of Ghana and also given Nestlé-sponsored Children’s readers, the manual used in the weekly 45-minutes nutrition and hygiene class, as well as food models and playing kits.

In line with that 120 teachers, including physical education instructors and district directors of education are to participate in a series of workshops between August 26 and August 31, 2013, to build their capacity for the effective implementation of the programme.

A statement issued by Nestle Ghana on the forthcoming programme quoted Ms Helena Mends-Kittoe, the official representative for the GES as saying that nutrition education should be a collective effort.

It said she entreated the teachers to own the programme and make a good impact on the children so that it would reflect and realise its long-term vision of meeting the nutrition education needs of the current and future generations.

The Head of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Nestlé Central and West Africa, Mrs. Peggy Diby, reiterated the commitment of Nestlé to playing its part in raising nutritional awareness through its Healthy Kids Global Programme and also to addressing the nutritional issues.