Nivea manufacturer Beiersdorf East Africa is donating funding of 32.1 million shillings over the next twelve months, towards combating the growing hunger crisis in Kenya amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The donation is part of a regional partnership with the Global Food Banking Network (GFN) and local Kenyan affiliate – Platter of Compassion: Food Banking Kenya (FBK) and is carried out under Beiersdorf‘s “Care Beyond Skin” Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
As part of its contribution to Food Banking Kenya, Beiersdorf will fund a School Feeding Programme, an Agriculture Recovery Programme, and capacity building of service delivery to beneficiaries. This donation will enable FBK to upscale the feeding program, improve the nutritional component in schools, and increase the retention of school-going children which will ultimately improve learning.
Amongst the beneficiaries is a home for girls rescued from female genital mutilation in rural Kenya as well as organizations assisting refugees in Garissa County.
Under the Agriculture Recovery Programme, FBK will help to reduce food wastage by recovering good edible food that would otherwise have gone to waste. By way of this grant, FBK will expand its Agricultural Recovery Program in Nairobi and other regions of Kenya, ensuring that more people have access to a nutritious and diverse supply of food.
FBK will prioritize service delivery to the most vulnerable populations. Addressing food wastage also reduces carbon footprint which ultimately helps in the conservation of the environment.
From a capacity-building standpoint, FBK and Beiersdorf intend to improve efficiency in service delivery to existing beneficiaries and exponentially scale service delivery to new areas. To meet increased need, FBK will increase warehouse capacity, establish additional depots in new locations, expand cold chain capacity, and add fleet, and human resources.
Globally, Beiersdorf is taking a targeted approach to provide effective and direct support where help is urgently needed. Locally, the company is focusing on three areas: financial support for NGOs, production, and donation of disinfectants, production, and donation of skin & hand care products to front line health care workers. It is teaming up with international organizations as well as local authorities to bring support to the people in need.
According to Mathieu Levasseur, General Manager, Central, East, and West Africa at Beiersdorf, “Our funding of Food Banking Kenya serves a strategic purpose linked to the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, which Beiersdorf is active in globally. With the disruption this pandemic is causing to the economy, vulnerable members of society are at risk.
We are doing this with a view of increasing the capacity of FBK to provide vital hunger relief services, reaching 110,000 individuals. Furthermore, this is an opportunity to create zero-waste solutions for large and small-scale farmers in Kenya.
Through our support, FBK will enhance its capacity to support food security resilience in COVID-19 emergency and recovery. This is also a good opportunity for Beiersdorf to play a meaningful part in society as we continue the fight against COVID-19.”
According to Warau Kahoro, Marketing Director – Central, East, and West Africa at Beiersdorf, “Food banks are powerful interventions that change lives and communities. They are an interconnected lifeline to the hungry and equip communities to feed themselves. We as Beiersdorf recognize the importance of strengthening food banks as it fosters resilience and enhances the community’s capability to fight hunger long term.”
Food banking works by collecting surplus food from various entities such as farms, grocery retailers, food manufacturers, and distributors, restaurants, and hospitality organizations as well as government and consumers. Food is collected at foodbanks and is thereafter distributed to community service organizations that deliver onwards to hungry people.