Be A Force For Good With Choithrams, Mastercard And World Food Programme
For the fifth consecutive year, Choithrams is running a charitable campaign across its stores in Dubai to help the World Food Programme (WFP) deliver school meals to children in need in the Middle East. Until 31 December 2019, Choithrams will donate between AED 1 and AED 4 to WFP every time a customer purchases a Goodness Foods product marked with a special sticker. For WFP, AED 1 is the average cost to feed a child a nutritious school meal around the world.
Building on the success of last year’s campaign, which saw more than 1 million school meals being donated to vulnerable children in the region, and as part of its commitment to be a force for good, Mastercard is pledging its support to Choithrams and the WFP to achieve its vision of a world with Zero Hunger. From 15 November until the end of the year, Choithrams’ customers will be invited to add a donation to WFP upon checkout, with Mastercard rewarding shoppers’ generosity by doubling each donation made using a Mastercard product.
Since 2015, a total of US$2million has been raised and contributed by Choithrams to support WFP’s food assistance programme in the Middle East and West Africa, where Choithrams operates. Most of these funds have been allocated to WFP’s School Meals programme in Jordan and Benin. WFP school meals work as a powerful incentive for underprivileged parents to send their children to school, where they can receive nutritious meals, whilst also contributing positively to the local economy by supporting local farmers and food suppliers.
“Choithrams’ history and corporate culture are deeply anchored in our commitment to the community. Five years ago, we chose to join forces with WFP and put all our weight behind offering as many children as possible the nutritious food they need to go to school, focus in class, lead healthy lives and achieve their potential, and we intend to pursue that road for another ten years,” said Lekhu Pagarani, Chairman, Choithrams. “Our long-standing relationship with both WFP and Mastercard, who have made it possible for us to contribute to a cause we feel deeply connected to, continues to grow. Foremost, we applaud our generous customers and our employees in making this effort a success over the years; they are the key driver of our engagement.”
Mastercard is deeply engaged in the fight against hunger alongside WFP in the UAE and around the world, engaging in a global partnership with the institution since 2012. Together, Mastercard and WFP are helping vulnerable communities take important steps towards breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty for future generations. With the support of its customers and business partners such as Choithrams, Mastercard has fundraised for more than 33 million meals for WFP through 84 campaigns and activations last year. Since 2015, Mastercard employees have also applied their professional expertise via 20 missions to WFP field offices to conduct the WFP School Meals Cost-Benefit Analysis, to help make the case for increased investment in school meals, demonstrating that each US$1 invested in school meals brings up to US$10 in economic return.
“Mastercard is committed to giving back to society and positively impacting the lives of millions across the globe,” said Mustapha Kassem, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, MENA, Mastercard. “Our partnership with Choithrams supports our pledge to provide meals to children in need across the region and around the world as part of our global partnership with WFP. Doing well by doing good is in our DNA, and we’re delivering on this promise by forging partnerships that allow us to Start Something Priceless in our communities.”
“We value our continuing partnership with Choithrams and Mastercard,” said Mageed Yahia, Head of the World Food Programme Office in UAE and WFP Representative in GCC. “Their ongoing support coupled with their wide reach contribute to our constant efforts to raise much-needed public awareness and funds for WFP’s mission and cause. Together, we work hard to ensure that many of the children and families affected by hunger and food insecurity receive the support they need and remain hopeful of a future world with Zero-Hunger”, he added.
Mastercard and Choithrams’ partnership with WFP focuses on the transformational power of school meals, which can help improve children’s health, school enrollment, cognitive development, and future lifetime earnings. In many cases, school meals – which are sometimes the only regular, nutritious meal a child receives – are key to unlocking children’s full potential and helping communities build self-sufficiency. Creating opportunities to allow consumers to give back seamlessly, demonstrates the value industry players can bring through partnerships, ultimately making a difference to the life of those in need.
