The winning team, Bernice Addo (in white, middle) and her son, Leon Addo, along with family and dignitaries at the event in a group pose soon after she was presented with the educational support.

Nestle Nido Nutrition Education Campaign reaches out to Osu schools

Isaac Yeboah Jul - 10 - 2016 , 17:43

School children and their parents under the Maale Dada Circuit of the Ghana Education Service in Accra, had a fun-filled Saturday as the Nestle Nido Nutrition Education Campaign hit the national capital.

From aerobics to nutrition and healthy life education tit-bits dramatized by a team from the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, as well as quizzes, games and lucky spins, parents, mostly mothers and their children were all cheers as they learned, in simple and fun-filled ways, the best methods to care for the family’s meals.

And at the height of the event held at the Ako Adjei Park, Osu, a mother and petty trader, Bernice E. Addo, won a GH¢500 scholarship for her son, Leon Addo, a Primary 2 pupil of Kaa-Jarno Presby, after she beat five others in a contest of who knows her healthy meals best.

She also took home exercise books and assorted Nestle products while all contestants in the various games and quizzes received various prizes with all participants of the event going home with Nestle products and exercise books.

A nutritionist, Priscilla Copson who interacted with parents, counseled the need for balanced diets, importance of breakfast and the crucial health benefits of the right amounts of micronutrients like iron, calcium and vitamins in the meals of growing children and adults. She said Vitamin C and Iron for instance work together to promote alertness. When the micronutrients are lacking in the diets of children, they may result in kwashiorkor and set on other health challenges, including weak immune systems, and slow healing wounds and cuts.

She also counseled against alcohol consumption and advised that those who can, should abstain altogether but for those who cannot, moderation is better. For pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, alcohol is a no-no as it may have health implications for the baby.

In a message read by the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Manager of Nestlé-Ghana, Mr Aaron Fenu on behalf of the Managing Director Mrs. Freda Y. Duplan, he said the Nestle Nido Nutrition Education Campaign provides mothers and caregivers nutrition education for the optimal growth of their children and is being run in selected schools nationwide in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service.

He emphasised the important role education plays in promoting good nutrition and healthy lifestyle that contribute to the development of families especially children, and said since 2015 when the campaign started, it has reached over 11,000 mothers in the Greater Accra, Northern, Western, Ashanti, Volta, Central, Brong Ahafo and Eastern regions.

Nestle's Micronutrient-Fortification Commitments

He said Nestle has made a global commitment to help reduce the risk of under nutrition through micronutrient-fortification and aims to reach 200 billion annual servings of micronutrient-fortified foods and beverages worldwide by end of 2016.

"In the Central and West Africa Region, Nestle provided its consumers with 58 billion daily servings of micronutrient- fortified foods and beverages in 2015," he added.

Officials from the municipal and circuit education directorate, national School Health Education Programme and traditional authorities graced the occasion.