1,000 more children across India to receive free nutritional support
Bengaluru : The launch of the third phase of the Casa Herbalife programme has been announced by Smile Foundation, a national development organization that works for underprivileged children and their families in areas of education, healthcare, livelihood and women empowerment. The programme is supported by the Herbalife Family Foundation (HFF), a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children by helping charitable organisations provide healthy nutrition to children in need. During the third phase unveiled today in Bengaluru, the HFF will extend grants to provide nutritional support to 1,000 children across India, through Smile Foundation’s ‘Mission Education’ programme.
The third phase beneficiaries are spread across Smile Foundation’s Mission Education centres, including in the North (New Delhi, Gurgaon in Haryana and Chandigarh), East (Kolkata in West Bengal), West (Baroda in Gujarat and Thane in Maharashtra) and South (Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Bangalore in Karnataka).The first and second phases of the programme were launched in Mumbai & Chennai in 2011 and 2013, respectively, to cater to 2,000 children in these regions. Overall, the initiative is benefitting 3,000 children in three phases.
Speaking on the occasion, Vikram Singh Verma, Chief Operating Officer, Smile Foundation said, “We are happy to continue this relationship into the third phase and we believe that together we can deliver the right value. Smile Foundation believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there’s no better place to start than in the corridors of education. More than 200,000 children have directly benefitted from the Mission Education programme since 2002.”
Ajay Khanna, Vice President and Country Head, Herbalife International India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Two key factors which play a pivotal role in the growth and development of a child are a healthy body and a healthy mind. The quality of life during childhood will be a defining factor in a person’s success as an adult. As a global nutrition company, we advocate the importance of nutrition for a healthy and active life; hence we have strengthened our association with Smile Foundation through this third phase of the programme. We are happy that 3,000 children will benefit from this partnership.”
Mission Education is Smile Foundation’s flagship programme which provides education, healthcare and nutrition support to underprivileged children.