Why We Are Fighting Child Malnutrition – Hollandia

Chioma Umeha

Hollandia, the leading dairy brand from Chi Limited, has said that it is determined to fight child hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria, hence its donation of dairy products to vulnerable Nigerian children.

This it is doing through the Hollandia No Kid Hungry Foundation, the vehicle for the brand’s corporate social responsibility initiative which aims to alleviate child hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria.

Believing that no kid should go to bed hungry, the foundation recently stormed the Bogije Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State and donated dairy products to more than 500 children.

Speaking during the visit, the Managing Director CHI Ltd, Mr. Deepanjan Roy, represented by the Head of Administration, Mr. Ebere Osunkwo, said, “As a socially responsible company, we are naturally passionate about child nutrition. And in cognizance of the unsatisfactory situation with child nutrition globally and nationally, we initiated the Hollandia No Kid Hungry Foundation as a vehicle for contributing, in our own way, towards slowing down the spiraling number of cases of hunger and malnutrition amongst children.”

According to UNICEF, about 2.5 million Nigerian children suffer from severe acute malnutrition. The report further states that Nigeria has the second highest number of stunted children in the world, mostly resulting from child malnutrition and hunger. Being a dairy brand loved by children in households across Nigeria, the beverage brand is passionate about children and views these facts as further impetus to battle against hunger and malnutrition among Nigerian children.

He added that the Bogije IDP camp visit marked a notable milestone in the Foundation’s drive towards alleviating child hunger and malnutrition.

Going further, he stated, “Many children have found themselves in certain adverse conditions due to no fault of theirs. When you think of these children in the IDP camps, you can imagine how many go to bed hungry every single night. Even when they get to eat, how nutritious is the food they consume? So we thought to ourselves, what better way to identify with them than on their day. This is why we chose to celebrate the Children’s Day and World Nutrition Day with them and at least put smiles on their faces.”

Responding on behalf of the community, Chief Tajudeen Oniwolu, the Baale of the Bogije Oniwolu Estate, expressed his gratitude and joy at the event which he described as auspicious. He said, “I am very grateful to the management of CHI Ltd for this special visit and the donation of their products to the children today being Children’s Day. It is obvious for all to see that the children are very happy and as the Baale of this community, this really gladdens my heart. I call on other companies to emulate this kind gesture. I also beckon on CHI Ltd to continue with this very laudable initiative.”

Commenting on the initiative, Mrs. Regina Ayomanor, Project Coordinator, Web of Hearts Foundation said, “As seen on the faces of the children, we are indeed happy and grateful to Hollandia for this act of kindness to the IDP children in this community. It is true that children ought to live up to their dreams, but some of these children have no food, not to talk of a future. We say a big thank you to Hollandia No Kid Hungry Foundation for the huge impact they have made today and look forward to more partnerships with them in the future.”