On the occasion of the International Day of Healthy Eating, United Way Romania, together with Edenred and Kaufland Romania, start the engines of the NutriCOOLtura educational caravan on the road to the development of healthy eating habits among pupils in Romania. Through reading, the project brings to schools free solutions and materials that contribute to children’s health and education.
According to the data presented by the National Institute of Statistics, in 2021, from the total population of Romania aged at least 15, only 8.4% follow an appropriate diet. At the same time, according to the PISA Tests in 2023, 42% of 15-year-old pupils in Romania are below the basic level of skills, related to the level of functional illiteracy.
Out of the desire to drive a beneficial change in pupils’ food choices, but also in critical thinking, literacy skills and socio-emotional skills, Edenred and Kaufland Romania have created a partnership with the United Way Romania Foundation, which, for 20 years, has been carrying out educational projects for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Romania. The NutriCOOLtura educational caravan will reach several regions of the country with the aim of providing access to education and learning resources, to encourage and support, in a friendly and experiential manner, healthy eating habits among pupils.
NutriCOOLtura supports children’s education through several series of four illustrated stories dedicated to four age groups (grades 0-I, grades II-III, grades IV-V and grades VI-VIII), writen by NABU, with basic concepts described in age-appropriate language related to healthy eating. The project, which is also supported by the renowned psychologist Raluca Anton, provides workshops for teachers and, for the first time, a national kit that are available online for free on the website www.unitedway.ro. The stories and materials dedicated to teachers and parents are accessible both for the formation of healthy eating habits and for strengthening the teacher-student-parent bond in the educational process.
“Within Edenred, over the years, we have committed to support healthy eating among Romanians by initiating and developing innovative projects and programs. The World Health Organization’s 2022 data show a worrying context that requires constant action to improve it. Approximately 30% of Romanian children aged between 7-9 years, are overweight, and between 15% and 20% of them are obese. The NutriCOOLtura project is essential in the context of current challenges, and through this partnership, we want to provide the necessary educational materials, free of charge, to inspire pupils to adopt a conscious and correct approach to nutrition, thus contributing to the formation of healthy habits that will accompany them throughout their entire lives,” said Lelia Mancaș, Director of Marketing, Communication and CSR, Edenred Romania.
”At Kaufland we believe that all children have the right to a healthy diet, which is why we annually invest in national education and awareness programs, such as NutriCOOLtura, which contribute to the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. To make it all more fun, the NutriCOOLtura caravan will also be accompanied around the country by Akademia Kinderland, a mobile school on wheels where children learn the basics of food and how to eat healthy, through play”, added Katharina Scheidereiter, Kaufland CSR Manager Romania.
“At United Way, we approach education in an integrated way, working not only with pupils, but also with their support network – teachers and parents. Moreover, we believe that school is the environment where children gather not only knowledge, but also life skills. In this context, the NutriCOOLtura project, developed by the United Way, through stories about balanced living, addresses two pressing problems: that of poor nutrition and that of functional illiteracy. We are grateful to Edenred and Kaufland Romania for their generous support and through our joint effort we will take this project to as many corners of the country as possible.” – Adriana Dobrea, Executive Director of United Way Romania.
The first stop of the caravan will be in schools in disadvantaged areas of Bucharest – Ilfov, Timiș and Cluj, where Edenred and Kaufland volunteers, together with the teaching staff, will carry out interactive activities with the children, based on the stories specially created for them within the project. The NutriCOOLtura caravan will be accompanied by Akademia Kinderland, the mobile school that offers an engaging educational game experience, full of riddles and mysteries, in the first escape room on the theme of nutrition, developed by the Plan B Association. Akademia Kinderland is intended for children between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and will park in the parking lots of Kaufland stores, between 09:00 and 13:00, and access is free.
