Children in Lebanese Public Schools
Receive Excellent Nutrition Education
Children in Lebanese public schools are receiving excellent nutrition education according to an independent international assessment from the Cuprifère Consultagency, which has recognized the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education for excellence for itsimplementation of the AjyalSalima program -rolled out in 2010 in partnership with the American University of Beirut and Nestlé Middle East.
Deemed a benchmark for programsaiming to promote healthy eating and physical activity among schoolchildren around the world, AjyalSalima has been a part of the Ministry's Health Education and Environmental Unit curriculum since 2014, and has so far been introduced in five countries in the region over the past eight years.
"The science-based AjyalSalimaprogram has clearly been a positive addition to our schools, with all the behavior and dietary changes it has brought to children, and nutrition training that it providedto teachers," said FadiYarak, Director General of Education at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon. "Healthy and light school snacks and nutrition awareness in schools contribute to a positive school environment, to increased retention rates, and are a lifelong investment in the future of children."
"As we continue to celebrate the program's impact and to expand it in public schools, we also call on private schools to introduce it into their own curriculums."
"Tackling the growing triple burden of malnutrition: under-nutrition, obesity and micronutrient deficiencies can only happen through more partnerships between academia, the private and public sectors on programs such as the science-based AjyalSalima," said Dr. NahlaHwalla, Professor of human nutrition, and former Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences Dean at AUB.
"We aim to enable healthier and happier lives through our Nestlé for Healthier Kidsinitiative, under which AjyalSalima is being implemented and expandedin the region," said KarineAntoniades, Public Affairs and Creating Shared Value Manager at Nestlé Middle East. "From leading research in children nutrition, to product innovation andintroducinghealthier foods, to education and innovative nutrition and lifestyle programs and services, our global ambition is to help 50 million children lead healthier lives by 2030."
"Over the years, our studies have shown AjyalSalimaleads children to consume two times the amount of fruits and vegetables, eat breakfast more frequently, and have about 50% less chips and 36% less sweetened drinks," said Dr. Carla HabibMourad, Lecturer of Nutritional Sciences at AUB, and regional scientific coordinator for AjyalSalima.
The award particularly laudedthe step-by-step partnership approach between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, AUB, and Nestlé Middle East, as well as teacher trainings aspects, as examples to other Healthy Kids programs worldwide.
AjyalSalimaalso involves parents, and has been accompanied since 2012 by a Ministry-decreed school canteen shop policy providing children with healthier food options.
Reaching over55,000public and private school students in Lebanon to date, AjyalSalima targets 8-14 year-oldsand is currently adding 50 more schools a year, having reached over 400 across the country so far.
"This program is a great example of the power and impact of concerted efforts between the private and public sectors," concluded Yarak.
