Kraft Foods Makes a 5-Year Promise in the Philippines

Kraft Foods Philippines launches its 5-Year Adopt-a-School Program for Sampaloc Site II Elementary School in Paranaque. The 5-year program has three focus areas - Improving Nutrition, Literacy and Teacher Training through Digital Education. And Kraft Foods employees distribute iron and vitamin A fortified squash bread to the 372 beneficiaries of its 9-month feeding program. The squash bread products will be given to severely malnourished students from Kinder to Grade 6 everyday to help improve their nutrition.

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 25, 2011) - Are you committed to something or someone? In a relationship or a friendship, commitment means devoting quantity and quality time. Kraft Foods Philippines (KFP) recently made a similar commitment to devote time and effort. Last July 15, Kraft Foods made a promise to adopt a school for the next five years, to help make a delicious difference in the lives of its students.

You have heard that many schools all over the country suffer from problems on lack of teachers, crowded classrooms and high malnutrition. In this regard you could say that Sampaloc Site II Elementary School in Parañaque is ordinary, because it suffers from the same problems. What’s not ordinary is what will take place inside this public school beginning this year until 2015.

Three Goals in 5 Years

Kraft Foods’ higher purpose is to make today delicious through its brands, sustainability actions and community involvement. Being one of the largest food companies in the world, helping address hunger and malnutrition is close to Kraft Foods’ heart.

In the Philippines, the cycle of hunger and malnutrition is compounded by poverty. Kraft Foods’ innovative 5-year plan combines three focus areas critical to students’ development: Nutrition, Literacy and Teacher Training through Digital Education. Kraft Foods hopes that with these areas, the school can become one of the top 5 public schools in Parañaque City by 2015.

In the long run, they will hopefully equip children with the capability to avoid future hunger.

“Kraft Foods aims to provide immediate solutions which can bring about lasting change,” explains Sudip Mall, General Manager of Kraft Foods Philippines. “One can see hope and great potential in these students,” continues Mall. “I am confident that together, we can provide an enabling platform to these future leaders to realize that potential.”

Feed the Hungry

To address malnutrition, Kraft Foods will be implementing a 9-month feeding program from July 2011 to March 2012. Vitamin A and iron fortified squash bread products will be distributed daily to 372 severely malnourished students from Kinder to Grade 6. During the launch event for the 5-year program, students, parents, teachers and guests alike were treated to a special tasting of these products.

The squash bread products are made using a technology developed by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the DOST and transferred to a local bakery, Yelly’s Bakeshop.

Read to be Inspired

The power of books to transport readers into worlds unknown will be imparted to students in the literacy component of the 5-year program. Through a 31-day read-a-thon with Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, Inc. (SAS), Grade 4 students will compete in a fun contest to read the most books.

As Maria Cindy Lim, Head of Corporate and Government Affairs of Kraft Foods shares, “The activity aims to instil in young minds the importance and wonders of reading. We all know that learning begins with literacy. We want to equip the students with this all-too-important life skill to help their future education.”

Teaching the Teachers

When children are in school, teachers become secondary parents. With this vital role teachers play, Kraft Foods’ third component of the 5-year program focuses on teacher training through digital education.

Teachers will be provided with core and non-core subject training through the partnership with the Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED).

Information and communication technology (ICT)-based instruction for the teachers will also be provided through the Intel Teach Program made possible by Intel Microelectronics Philippines and the Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development (FIT-ED).

“We wanted to go beyond basic training and make the teachers competitive in today’s technologically-advanced world,” expounds Lim.

The Future begins Today

“I am happy that with every activity in the next 5 years, Kraft Foods people like me can contribute to achieving its goals,” employee Petty Arnaldo happily adds. “This fact makes me feel truly part of the program and proud to be part of Kraft Foods.”

The plan may seem inspiring. But for Kraft Foods, what’s really wonderful to see are the teachers, parents, partners, and employees who will make it happen. They are the true delicious makers, the reasons why this program can make a difference for the children and the community.