World Food Day: Unilever and World Food Programme partnered to improve welfare of schoolchildren in Central Mindanao

I've been supporting United Nations World Food Programme's (WFP) advocacy towards hunger. I give my highest regards to this international arm that supports and motivates big companies such as Unilever who had been a corporate partner with WFP since 2006 globally.

It has been known that Unilever has contributed to WFP and its fight against hunger in the Philippines since 2008, through the global event "Walk the World," organised in collaboration with TNT Express and DSM to raise funds and awarenesss for WFP's work. The said event has generated over Php13.8 million to fund school meals in the Philippines and Unilever has also subsequently donated a total of US$18.7 million to support WFP's advocacy around the world.

This time, in celebration of the World Food Day, Unilever Philippines has again renewed its commitment to help improve the health and well-being of Filipino children by donating Php6 million to support the United Nations WFP school feeding programme in remote and conflict-affected areas of Central Mindanao.

They've been thoroughly working hand in hand in braving the most remote places in Central Mindanao in order to boost the schoolchildren's welfare and that no "malnutrition" in this country would ever exist anymore. By 2020, they will be able to help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being.


In celebration of the World Food Day, Unilever Philippines' number one food brand, Knorr, turned-over the Php6 million cheque to World Food Programme thereby providing 600,000 hot nutritious meals to 100,000 public elementary school children in the provinces of Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte. In connection with this, WFP has partnered with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Education (DepEd) in carrying out the programme.


During the said event, WFP Philippines Representative and Country Director, Mr. Stephen Anderson said, "We would like to thank Unilever for its consistent and valuable support to WFP in the Philippines. Over the years, Unilever has mobilized its different brands to come up with innovative and creative ways to help raise awareness of, and mobilize resources for, the fight against hunger- they are true champions of the cause."

On the other hand, Unilever Philippines Foods and Customer Development Director, Mr. Carl Cruz added, "The support that we give to school feeding is just one part of the overall sustainable living plan of Unilever to help improve the nutrition levels of Filipino children and contribute to the Philippines' effort to meet its Millennium Development Goal targets. But we cannot do this alone. We are privileged to have as a global partner such as the World Food Programme to help us in achieving this goal."




About Unilever

Unilever works to create a better future everyday. They help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. They are one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries. Consumers buy 170 billion Unilever packs around the world every year, and their products are used over two billion times a day. Their portfolio includes some of the world's best known brands such as Knorr, Lipton, Dove, Sunsilk, Surf and Rexona.

Ambition: To double the size of their business, while reducing their overall environmental impact (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal). They are also committed to doing what they can to improve health, nutrition and hygiene, with goals to help more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, as well as to source all their agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020. Supporting their three big goals are more than 50 time-based targets in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.