Childhood obesity is gaining ground, both in developed and developing countries. In Romania, the absence of official statistics makes childhood obesity a problem that is difficult for all children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, because they do not have access to education of any kind, including food. The only official study contains data about childhood obesity was conducted in 2015 and shows that in all age groups studied 7, 8 and 9 years, the share of children with weight problems (overweight or obese) is over 25% (INS data). Specifically, 1 in 4 children in the studied groups has weight problems. This situation has effects on the respect of their rights to protection, health and education at all levels, including food.
Project initiated by The Louis Bonduelle Foundation
In this sense, the Louis Bonduelle Foundation donates tablets with internet in the project Save the Children to restore the right to education of children at risk so that they have access to both school and food education.
The COVID-19 pandemic has limited access to education of any kind for at least 900,000 children. Due to the material difficulties of their families, they do not have the opportunity to take online courses. In addition, a few hundred rural schools still do not provide decent and safe conditions for children’s participation in classes, and information on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following a proper diet is completely lacking.
This year, fruits and vegetables are highlighted by the FAO. In this context, the organization of the United Nations recognizes their importance in our diet through many documents.
Facilitating access to knowledge to limit childhood obesity
The Louis Bonduelle Foundation supports the Save the Children project to facilitate access to tools and solutions specific to online education for children in disadvantaged areas.
In this sense, the Foundation donated 30 tablets to the students selected by the Save the Children Organization from Iași County, from 2 classes of the B.P. Hasdeu. Thus, the 30 children, aged between 7 and 14, will have access to online courses and information about what a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet entails. In addition, the costs of internet access on these tablets in the next 2 years will also be borne by the Foundation.
Save the Children volunteers will take over the tablets donated by the Louis Bonduelle Foundation and teach the beneficiary children and their parents how to use them. They will learn to use tablets, in order to have access both to the programs requested by the Ministry of Education and to relevant information regarding nutrition. Along with tablets, they will also receive an educational flyer on what a healthy lifestyle entails.
To find educational kits for children around plant based diet, don’t hesitate to click on the following link: