BALANCED NUTRITION is one of our three sustainability goals. Next to the initiatives on our products like Clean Label and improvement of the nutritional profile, we also support some humanitarian initiatives. In this context, we're sharing more on our collaboration with HUBI & VINCIANE.
Forty years ago, Foundation Hubi & Vinciane started humanitarian activities in Benin in West Africa. The name refers to a young Belgian couple, Doctor Hubert and his fiancé Vinciane, who both died in an air crash on their way home from spending years as humanitarian workers in the bush hospital located in Benin.
The organisation became an important partner for regional development in Borgou, one of the poorest regions in the world. This rural region has about 2.5 million inhabitants. Today the Foundation has around 40 volunteers in Belgium and 21 local staff members in Benin.
▶ Watch the Hubi & Vinciane Foundation's video.
The number of malnourished children in Borgou is significantly high, and one of the reasons for lack of development the region.
That's why the Foundation decided to start an integrated programme to detect, treat and prevent malnutrition. Thanks to this intensive and global approach, the Foundation has been able to reduce severe malnutrition among children aged 0 to 5 from 11% to 3% during the last years. This does not mean that the battle is over yet. It remains imperative to continue the programme to ensure sustainability and improve the availability of healthy food for all families.
At the basis of the sustainability strategy lies the belief that everyone can make a difference. That is why our company decided to support this malnutrition programme. "Vandemoortele strives to give all people healthy food options, including those in vulnerable and dire situations", says Marc Croonen, Chief Human Resources, Sustainability & Communication.
The programme consists out of several projects. One is the screening and treatment project: 14 animators, all experienced social workers, provide intensive screening and go door-to-door in the villages to assess children between 0 and 5 years old.
Customised care and workshops
More than 12,000 children are screened each year, as the programme covers a total of 63 villages. Depending on the degree of malnutrition of the children, they are referred to a medical centre or the hospital. Their treatment is funded by the Foundation. It consists of close follow-up, specific medication including Plumpy'Nut, and temporary intensive support with a particular enriched flour, among other dietary supplies.
The preventive approach consists of several specific cooking workshops on healthy and balanced nutrition: under the supervision of the nutritionist and in collaboration with the Foundation's agricultural technicians, each of the animators in their respective villages provide customised training. They teach mothers and grandmothers how to make meals more nutritious and balanced, for example by adding extra vegetables. The recipes are well thought, using available and affordable ingredients. These sessions are crowded, with an average of about 100 participants.
Offering chances
The Foundation's agronomists take full responsibility of the third project within the programme. They support the women establishing vegetable gardens where they can grow vegetables and fruits. This initiative has a huge impact: Not only do the families have access to a healthier diet, but also, the women can make a profit from selling the crops they do not use themselves.
For a fourth project, the Foundation invests in creating a network to help the Filles Ambassadrices de Nutrition in the 50 elementary schools it works with. In each school, the nutritionist and his team provide customised training to a group of girls to become ‘ambassadors’. They learn all aspects of eating healthy and on the symptoms of malnutrition. This allows them to inform and sensitise their peers about the risks of malnutrition and how to prevent it.
The programme has a total yearly cost of around 50,000€. The contribution of Vandemoortele will support the continuation of this programme in 2023.
