Royal DSM, the Life Sciences and Materials Sciences Company, today has once again joined hands with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to host a charity event in seven cities across China as part of the Bright Experience World Tour. The event aims to raise awareness and funds for the issue of child hunger and malnutrition. DSM has been part of this event for seven consecutive years.
Initiated by the WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organization fighting hunger on the globe, and its corporate partners in 2003, the annual charity event aims to raise money and awareness to fight child hunger and malnutrition. In China, the money collected at the event will be donated to the WFP’s School Feeding Programmes worldwide and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA). The latter will use the money for the school meal programme it conducts in poor areas of China. To date, more than two million people around the world have participated in the event, to the benefit of more than 200,000 children in poverty-stricken areas.
As a global partner of the WFP, DSM has been taking part in the event since 2007. With a theme of “Hunger is Solvable: Bright Experience”, this year’s event has attracted more than 1,400 DSM employees and their families, as well as partners in seven Chinese cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Jiangyin in Jiangsu Province and Zibo in Shandong Province. It’s the first time for employees from Chengdu to join this event. Employees and partners from DSM have made joint efforts with WFP and CFPA staff to show their solidarity in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
“As a long-term strategic partner of the WFP, we use our unique scientific expertise in health and nutrition to develop micronutrient innovations that meet the specific nutrition needs of the people to resolve 'hidden hunger' issue around the world,” said Dr. Jiang Weiming, DSM China President. “In China, some people in less-developed areas suffer from the effects of micronutrient deficiencies. As one of the global leaders in health and nutrition, we are responsible for helping them to address the issue and provide brighter lives for people today and generations to come. ”
“Malnutrition in China has aroused growing attention from government, media and the public. There is an increased awareness that good health for individuals and food security for nations – is not only about calories – it’s about nutrients, especially for the world’s most vulnerable people,” said Brett Rierson, WFP China Representative. “We are not alone in our journey, and with DSM’s strong and continued support both here in China and at a global level, we believe together we will solve hunger.
“This year will be the fifth time that the CFPA has participated in the event, and we expect to further raise public awareness of child hunger and malnutrition,” said Wang Luowei, Head of CFPA Maternal and Infant Health Project. “In China, through this DSM project, we have provided 40,000 nutritious meals to more than 100 children in poor areas of Yunnan and Sichuan provinces.”
Moreover, DSM in China supported the China’s National Women’s Federation, the Ministry of Health and the China Children and Teenagers’ Fund (CCTF) to jointly launch a project for elimination of anemia among infants and young children by delivering nutrition packs to poor families. The project is to be implemented in national poverty alleviation and development counties of 11 Western provinces and autonomous regions, and will eventually cover nearly eight million infants and young children in almost 600 counties. With calcium, iron, vitamins and other nutrients included, the supplements can improve brain and nerve cells development, improve bone growth and development, strengthen the immune system and effectively improve the anemia status in infants and young children. DSM has been invited to design and develop nutrition packs for the project, and also supply them to the project.