“I have become more healthy and learned how to run quicker.”

Program/Sponsor: Be Healthy Program with Charities Aid Foundation

Location: Leningrad region, Russia

Working to improve lives 
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but in Russia only 30 percent of kids six to 11 years old regularly get breakfast before school. Kraft Foods and Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) Be Healthy program teaches school-aged children in Russia to cook healthy foods, increase physical activity and grow nutritious foods in school gardens.

How Kraft Foods helps makes a difference 
CAF piloted the Be Healthy program in the summer of 2007. The pilot reached 164 third graders at six schools in the Leningrad region near Kraft Foods’ coffee plant. In 2008, the program expanded, adding six more schools. Each school has individualized projects, but share a common goal: encouraging healthy breakfast habits and active play, as well as growing and cooking foods that add essential vitamins for a daily diet. The schools also receive funding for physical education equipment and kitchen appliances.

Real-life results
Kids in the Be Healthy program at Yagelevskaya school learn how to make nutritious salads and get their exercise playing with giant plastic balls and Hula Hoops up and down school hallways. Third-grader Igor Gatalsky loves the emphasis on physical activity, from gymnastics to the group game, “ducks and hunters.” He especially enjoys games that require strength, dexterity and quickness. In his words, attending Kraft Foods’ program has been like working with a “doctor of health.”