The Global Child Nutrition Forum Judith Barry, Daniel Germain and Arlene Mitchell Every year, leaders from around the world gather together to discuss the advances and challenges in child nutrition in their respective communities. For many years now, members of the Club’s team have been among the guests, thanks to the generosity of the Air Canada […]
The Global Child Nutrition Forum
Judith Barry, Daniel Germain and Arlene Mitchell
Every year, leaders from around the world gather together to discuss the advances and challenges in child nutrition in their respective communities. For many years now, members of the Club’s team have been among the guests, thanks to the generosity of the Air Canada Foundation. We are always inspired by the diverse expertise we are exposed to and appreciate the opportunity to share our own experience with other organizations.
In December 2019, Daniel and Judith travelled to Cambodia to attend the 21st annual Global Child Nutrition Forum. They learned a great deal during their trip, which they were happy to relate to us when they got back – and we in turn are happy to share their insights with you to inspire you to do even more for the next generation.
The issue
Worldwide, there are 73 million elementary school–aged children who do not have access to a school nutrition program.
The challenges
One of the obstacles faced by many charities is the false perception of having to compete with other organizations, rather than work together. At the Club, we revel in the opportunity to pool our resources and speak in a unified voice. As such, we are stepping up our efforts to further build our network – which will ultimately translate to even more services for children.
Another challenge currently facing our peers around the world is how to properly assess and leverage the benefits of school food programs. We all know that children cannot achieve their full potential on an empty stomach. Although there are many studies and concrete data to back this up, we need to be even more thorough in our documentation and to shine the spotlight on the positive outcomes of our programs so we can persuade stakeholders across the social, political and business spectrum to join us in our efforts. We feel this is a particularly pressing need. We are therefore working with a social impact agency, which is currently conducting an evaluation of the Club’s efforts and approaches nation-wide. Our ultimate goal is to make sure every one of our actions leads to results.
School meal programs in Cambodia
Given that the 21st annual GCNF was hosted by Cambodia, it was an ideal opportunity for us to learn more about how they tackle the issue of making sure children have the energy to learn, every day.
Inspiration from around the world
Other organizations and countries also shared their experiences at GCNF. Here are a few we found particularly interesting.
We hope that this quick look at some of the ideas that have been developed around the world will give you some “food for thought” as we continue to develop our own solutions to improve child nutrition right here in Canada.
Child Nutrition – A Global Challenge
The Global Child Nutrition Forum Judith Barry, Daniel Germain and Arlene Mitchell Every year, leaders from around the world gather together to discuss the advances and challenges in child nutrition in their respective communities. For many years now, members of the Club’s team have been among the guests, thanks to the generosity of the Air Canada […]
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