Cargill completes first year of nutrition programme

Boye Chinnababu is in Grade 6 at Mandal Upper primary school, Mukundavaram Rajahmundry. He is the son of a daily wage farmer. There are days when his father does not find any work, as a result the family goes to bed hungry. Boye’s motivation to go to school every day is a glass of milk, an egg and a packet of biscuit which takes care of his daily nutritional requirements.

Boye is amongst the 216 children who are motivated to come to school daily, their BMI (Body mass index) and HB (hemoglobin) levels have improved and their mental and physical growth is clearly visible. This is a result of the supplementary nutrition programme implemented by Cargill’s Animal Nutrition business in India , in partnership with NGOs, Charities Aid Foundation and ACTION, in a government school in Rangampeta, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh.

The aim of the programme is to improve overall health and well being of children from marginalized communities. In addition, a water tank has also been installed in the school so that children have regular access to safe and clean drinking water. “The Nutrition Programme that was started in our village a year ago, has brought a lot of changes in our children.

They are now growing healthy as well as have become regular in attending schools. We express our gratitude to the people supporting us” Parents of Vattikuti Durga Sai and Veeravenkata Satya Sai, who are being supported under the programme. In addition to providing nutrition supplements, the children undergo a health check every month and their height, weight, BMI and HB levels are recorded and a proper health card is maintained for each student. Marked changes have been noticed in the overall growth and development of these children since the inception of the programme a year ago.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest N Ramakrishna Reddy, MLA said that “ Here most of the industries are giving gifts and token occasionally for charity work. But the supplementary nutrition intervention by Cargill is an innovative and sustainable approach towards helping children to be consistently healthy. I believe this will improve their overall development and prepare them to be sound citizens of the country.”

Speaking on the programme, Dasari Suresh, Plant Manager, Cargill’s Animal Nutrition business says, “This Nutrition Programme is an extension of Cargill’s commitment towards feeding the nation in a responsible way and improving the communities where people live and work. We believe every child has the right to nutrition and healthy growth and our nutrition programme is a step in this direction.”

"The Nutrition Programme has given us a chance to work closely with the community and address the health and nutrition constraints faced by the children in Rajahmundry. We are glad that our endeavor on the ground has started to show improved results," said Guru Dutt, Executive Director, Action. The programme will continue in year 2 and more children are expected to benefit from the same.