Coca-Cola and Kraft Foods, two leading members of the food and beverages industry, have been separately identified for their “gold standard” achievements for social public-private partnership and corporate citizenship.
In the 2011 Gold Standard Award for Public-Private Partnership, Coca-Cola India and partners including NDTV, CAF & UN-Habitat, were recognised for the Support My School project.
The programme, which sought to ensure pupils had access to the required levels of sanitation, water and school buildings to keep them in education, brought together NGOs, government and the private sector. Its aim was develop a happy, healthy environment which was critical for the overall development of all children.
The entry noted: “In a country where education is deemed as a right for every child, research finds that more than 44 million children are out of school and 50 per cent of children in many rural areas drop out of school even before entering fifth grade.”
Coca-Cola believed that problem stemmed from the fact that the schools they go to fail to provide the most basic facilities such as safe drinking water and clean, operational toilets.
To resolve this Coca-Cola India co-launched the Support My School
campaign to raise funds to provide all round improvement of schools in
rural India with an emphasis on proper sanitation, access to clean water
and sporting facilities.
Watch a brief video outlining the programme’s achievements
The cause was supported by partners including NDTV, CAF & UN-Habitat. To give personality to the project, Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was recruited as the campaign ambassador.
PR activities were undertaken by Perfect Relations in India, which nominated the initiative for the award, which is sponsored by Food Industry Asia. The award was presented by Food Industry Asia’s executive director, Bev Postma, at a reception held in Singapore on January 19.
Meanwhile, Kraft Foods secured the coveted Gold Standard Award for Corporate Responsibility, seeing off nearly 30 other corporations and groups to secure the accolade.
Kraft was recognised for the Kraft Hope Kitchen which is benefiting rural children in Mainland Since. Kraft Foods identified malnutrition among rural schoolchildren as a neglected social issue in China.
Research by Kraft Foods China and the China Youth Development Foundation covering 106 rural schools in 17 Chinese provinces found a lack of proper school canteens, the absence of nutritional guidance and poor food hygiene.
They identified an urgent need for kitchen facilities, education and skills and Kraft Foods set itself some ambitious goals including raising awareness of malnutrition, pioneering the building of school kitchens, mobilising employees and business partners to volunteer in rural school kitchens, and successfully building a social project in China which aligned with Kraft Foods’ global vision of fighting hunger and providing affordable nutrition.
In the initial year, Kraft aimed to build 100 new school kitchens in five Chinese provinces (Hebei, Jilin, Anhui, Hunan, Yunnan) to increase knowledge of children’s dietary requirements and food hygiene in the Kraft Hope Kitchen schools, supporting the programme with employee volunteer visits and product donations.
In addition to building the kitchens, each school was provided with equipment, sanitizing systems, nutritional knowledge and operation posters. Volunteers were invited to provide cooking, nutrition and hygiene training to the teachers.
The China Youth Development Foundation helped identify the schools and encouraged local government to provide administrative support and infrastructure such as water, gas and electricity. Local government also supported Kraft Hope Kitchen with unveiling ceremonies.
By the end of 2011, the programme benefitted 75,000 children. By mid-2011, there were 110 Kraft Hope Kitchens completed in 110 primary schools in six provinces, and all passed China Youth Development Foundation quality approval. An additional 40 kitchens were built in 2011 and a further 50 will be completed in 2012.
The Gold Standard Award for Corporate Responsibility is sponsored by AmCham-China and other shortlisted nominees were Chevron Philippines Inc., which secured a commendation award for The Minantaw Marine Park and Sanctuary, and Microsoft India, which was shortlisted for the Project Jyoti initiative.
For full details on both entries FOLLOW THIS LINK TO VIEW THE 32 PAGE GUIDE TO THE WINNERS AND COMMENDED ENTRIES
