Nestlé Pakistan has reinforced its partnership with the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) by launching a new initiative aimed at providing nutritional education to 15,000 students in Islamabad over the next two years.
According to a report today, the collaboration was marked by the inauguration of a ‘Nestlé for Healthier Kids’ (N4HK) room at the Islamabad Model College for Boys in Chak Shahzad. This facility is the 20th of its kind established in the country as part of the corporate initiative designed to promote nutrition awareness among children.
As part of the expanded agreement with the FDE, the company intends to set up a total of three dedicated N4HK rooms and provide training to 350 teachers. This plan follows a recent three-day training session for 45 faculty members and professionals from the Directorate General of Special Education in the capital territory.
Federal Secretary of Education, Nadeem Mahbub, who inaugurated the room, stated, ‘Nestlé’s N4HK program has been extremely significant in creating positive awareness about nutrition across our schools and communities.’ He described the development as “a positive step towards promoting healthier dietary practices among our students.’
Mr Mahbub also affirmed the department”s commitment to the phased expansion of the initiative, underlining the importance of a structured and systematic approach to nutrition education within the school system.
Sheikh Waqar Ahmad, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Nestlé Pakistan, said the N4HK initiative aims to ‘shape a healthier future for generations to come.’ He added that its outreach across Pakistan serves as an “endorsement of Nestlé’s endeavor to promote healthy nutrition in the country.’
The educational curriculum for the N4HK programme was developed in partnership with Oxford University Press (OUP). The company links this initiative to its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which focuses on good health and well-being.
The N4HK framework also incorporates sustainability training for children, conducted with the World Wide Fund (WWF), which has reached 5,000 participants. According to the company, the broader N4HK programme has so far trained over 3,000 teachers nationwide, reaching more than 440,000 children.
The Swiss-based multinational company has been operating in Pakistan for over 36 years.