There are an estimated 2.3 million Filipino families who have experienced “involuntary” hunger from July to September, according to a survey released by pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS). In order to bring awareness to health issues concerning food security and as part of its recently announced Nutrition for Zero Hunger initiative, premier global nutrition company Herbalife Nutrition has partnered with the SOS Children’s Village in the Philippines to launch a sustainable integrated farming project in Lipa City, Batangas.
The project aims to raise vegetables within SOS villages nationwide, to support the health and nutrition needs of children living in these villages. The SOS Children’s Village in Lipa City was chosen for its pilot implementation. During the project’s launch in the Lipa City facility, Herbalife Nutrition Philippines employees joined the planting activity, which utilized empty Herbalife Nutrition Formula 1 Shake canisters as beds for the vegetable seedlings.
“We are glad to partner with SOS Children’s Village in a new project that contributes to the food security of the people residing in their villages, whilst also finding an environmentally friendly way to recycle our used canisters,” said Sridhar Rajagopalan, senior director and sub-region head, Herbalife Nutrition Philippines.
“Through this project, we hope to bring forward important issues such as food insecurity, malnutrition and environment sustainability, all of which need to be dealt with urgently. This is in alignment with our global Nutrition for Zero Hunger project,” Rajagopalan added.
Herbalife Nutrition’s Nutrition for Zero Hunger is a global initiative that pledges US$2 million to help end world hunger, ensure people have access to good nutrition, and address rising obesity. The initiative, with the assistance of non-profit partners, will focus on providing access to healthy foods, improving nutrition education, identifying sustainable food resources, and raising awareness of the global crisis.
SOS Children’s Village Corporate Relations head Admore Alzate shared that Herbalife Nutrition Philippines is a leading long-time supporter of their organization of ensuring the children in their villages receive proper nutrition.
“Since 2010, the Herbalife Nutrition Foundation has been supporting SOS Children’s Village. They have been the primary driver of our health and nutrition projects throughout the years,” he said.
SOS Children’s Village helps orphaned, abandoned, and neglected Filipino children. It currently has eight project locations in the Philippines—Lipa City, Bataan, Calbayog, Cebu, Davao, Manila, Iloilo, and Tacloban.
