The Healthy Kitchen Project was developed in 2015 by the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS), the Jordan Ministries of Health and Education and the World Food Programme to address malnutrition amongst students while also providing employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged women in the area.
2 November 2019
Sustainability, Case Study
Through the project, women in Madaba, Jordan are trained and employed as chefs to provide healthy meals for students in nearby schools. This is meant to offer healthier meal options and raise nutritional awareness for the schoolchildren. Madaba is one of the more economically challenged areas in Jordan. The country also has a high obesity rate, particularly amongst children amongst which the rate currently stands at above 50%.
The project is intended to educate children about the risks of an unhealthy diet and the importance of physical activity and personal hygiene. In addition, by offering training and development the project also ensures increased employability for the women that it employs.
As the first private sponsors of Healthy Kitchen, we at Hikma are proud of the achievements of the programme, which runs in eleven schools across Madaba and employs 50 women. More than 5000 meals a day are now produced through the project, impacting more than 2,400 students every year. Impact assessments conducted by RHAS show an 11-25% reduction in unhealthy food purchases from school canteens and a 50% increase in awareness about healthy eating habits amongst children aged between 9-11.
Our sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme emphasises support for better health and wellbeing in our communities, particularly amongst those that are underprivileged.