Tokyo Cement Group recently extended its ‘Nourishing the Future’ school nutrition program by adding 179 students from four schools in Siyambalanduwa in the Moneragala district. The initiative includes primary grade students of Wattegama Sirimal Kanista Vidyalaya in Kotiyagala, Bambaragasroda Kanista Vidyalaya in Siyambalanduwa, and Barawaya Primary School and Danakiriya Kanista Vidyalaya in Kandaudapanguwa, who now receive a balanced mid-day meal on all five days of the week through this scheme.
Tokyo Cement was operating this benevolent social uplift program for several years in the past, where they provided mid-day meals to over 300 students of Thiriyaya Maha Vidyalaya in Trincomalee. With the inclusion of Moneragala schools, Tokyo Cement Group’s ‘Nourishing the Future’ mid-day meal program now touches the lives of over 475 schoolchildren hailing from backgrounds of reduced circumstances.
Director Innovations, Tokyo Cement Group, Praveen Gnanam said, “This program addresses the childhood malnutrition epidemic that has grown exponentially over the course of this year. Left unchecked, malnutrition has the potential to cause mental and physiological developmental diseases for future generations.
“Parents are more likely to send their children to school if they are fed, thereby increasing access to education for those most impacted by the economic crisis,” he said.
The daily meal plans follow the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, to ensure all main food groups consisting of greens, pulses, a fresh dairy product and a locally sourced fruit is included therein, to supplement their diet and fulfil the children’s nutritional growth needs. To ensure the students receive a wholesome lunch on a consistent basis and the children’s growth milestones are achieved progressively, Tokyo Cement has implemented a comprehensive monitoring process with help from each schools’ administration, parent groups, Zonal Director of the Ministry of Education and local health officers of the Ministry of Health.
– Sunday Observer Sri Lanka
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