Corporates called to Invest in Nutrition at the World Economic Forum 2012

Nov. 7, 2012 - PRLog -- Delhi, November 7th, 2012:

The Nutrition Barometer, released jointly by World Vision and Save the Children, put India at the bottom of the list considering national commitments to child health and their respective outcomes. Sharing the key findings of the Barometer with participants of the World Economic Forum 2012 and the media, nutrition in the Indian scenario was discussed in detail by the expert panelists and the audience alike.

The panelists included veterans in the field of nutrition and economics like Prof MS Swaminathan, Mr AV Shiva Kumar and William Hammink. The panel also boasted the unlikely but experienced voice of Mrs Angoori Bai from Bamori Nawab in Khurai dist. The session was defined and moderated by Dr Jayakumar Christian, CEO and National Director, World Vision India and Jasmine Whitbread, CEO, Save the Children International.

Prof MS Swaminathan helped put the Nutrition Barometer in the Indian context and spoke of how the focus has shifted from Food Security to Nutrition Security. He also spoke of the importance of importance of the Panchayati Raj and how that could help improve the nutrition status of our nation.

While talking of budgetary allocations and spending, Mr Shiva Kumar said “It isn’t expenditure on nutrition anymore, it is an investment.” And went on to convey how underfinancing was the bane of nutrition in India.

Angoori Bai, mother of 2 malnourished children, recounted her struggles with systems like Anganwadi Centres, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres and the lack of resources that even those systems faced. She ended her testimony with an emphatic plea “No one should ever have to go through what we did.”

Dr Jayakumar Christian, CEO and National Director, World Vision India pointed out that malnutrition may be an academic issue for almost everyone in the room but for Angoori and many like her, it was a life experience. He felt that the poor representation from the corporate world at the session was a good indicator of Corporate will to make this a nation fit for children, and was a shame. “Companies have the go beyond CSR to look for opportunities to invest in nutrition.”

The World Economic Forum for India began yesterday on the 6th of November at Gurgaon and plays host to the who’s who of the business and media worlds before closing on the 7th of November 2012.

The timing of the World Economic Forum for India coincides with the run up to World Vision’s Global Week of Action for Child Health Now, a campaign to end preventable deaths under 5. As a mark of solidarity with the 1.8 million children we lose annually to preventable diseases, World Vision India plans to raise 1.8 million hands across India. For more information, please visit www.worldvision.in/chn

World Vision India:

World Vision India is a Christian humanitarian organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, caste, race, ethnicity or gender.  Spread across 174 locations in India, World Vision works through long-term sustainable community development programmes and immediate disaster relief assistance.

For media queries or copies of the nutrition barometer, please contact:

Pradeep Daniel, World Vision India
+91 99401 92290 | pradeep_daniel@wvi.org