AMWAY INTENSIFIES ITS FIGHT AGAINST CHILDHOOD MALNUTRITION IN INDIA

Bhubaneswar : Around the world, Amway has been taking on the issue of malnutrition, helping thousands of children live better, healthier lives. In India, Amway is fighting childhood malnutrition through its globally renowned nutrition program – Power of 5, helping children under the age of six to lead a healthy life. Stepping up its efforts in nutrition education and intervention, the company has announced the launch of an innovative micronutrient supplement – Nutrilite Little Bits™ –providing daily essential vitamins and minerals to help manage micronutrient deficiency such as anemia.

Over the years, malnutrition has become a silent pandemic across geographies, which is now accelerated by the current health scenario. Talking about Amway’s efforts infighting malnutrition, especially among smallchildren, Amway India CEO, Anshu Budhraja,said, “We believe in going beyond thetraditional ways of doing business. In line with this thought and aligning to the Government of India’s National Nutrition Mission, we initiated a nutrition education program, Power of 5 in 2018 that has so far benefitted over 130000 underprivileged people including 36000 children in India. Further, leveraging our expertise in the nutrition and wellness space, we have combined our products, resources, and operations with our values, to develop Nutrilite Little Bits. I am delighted to announce that we will be using Little Bits in our ever-expanding Power of 5 program to help children live better, healthier, and more empowered lives. I firmly believe the goal of economic development cannot be met without addressing social issues such as childhood malnutrition. While the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, we are hopeful that our ongoing nutrition program alongside our strategic intervention with Nutrilite Little Bits will make a significant positive impact. We are focused on channeling our efforts to support and help as many children as we can. Besides increasing our reach of the program to benefit 40000 children, we aim to distribute Little Bits among10000 children under professional supervision.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), roughly 5.2 million children under age 5 die each year from preventable causes, and malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45 percent of these deaths globally (WHO) and 68% in India (Lancet).  Deprivation of adequate nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life often leads to stunted growth, poor cognitive development, and low immunity to disease. To address nutrition inequities in children, Amway launched the Power of 5 campaign in India in 2018 and has benefitted over 25,000 children under-five and over 90,000 mothers and caregivers. Aligned with the Government of India’s National Nutrition Mission, the program offers holistic solutions to create awareness and implement educational interventions at the grassroots level. Currently, the second phase of the project is operational with the SRF Foundation, covering 40 villages in Nuh district, Haryana, benefiting 26000 children. The nutrition program – Power of 5 has so far benefitted over 130000 people, including 36000 children in India.

Further, extending its expertise in nutrition to support the numerous burdens of malnutrition, Amway developed Nutrilite Little Bits aligned with WHO guidelines. Thismicronutrient supplement is loaded with 16 essential vitamins and minerals, customized as per the RDA 2010 guidelines to suit the Indian market targeting malnourished childrenbetween the age of 3 – 6 years. When taken daily, Little Bits can help support a child’s health by providing nutrients required for proper growth and development. Amway plans to further expand the program across regions in the years to come. Under the project, Nutrilite Little Bits will be distributed free of cost to the malnourished children through partner NGOs in the existing project locations. This year, Amway India plans to distribute Nutrilite Little Bits to nearly 10000 children for a minimum period of 6 months to 1 year.