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

Program/Sponsor: Be Healthy program with Charities Aid Foundation

Location: Leningrad and Moscow, Russia

Working to improve lives
In Russia, 16 percent of children are overweight or obese. Kraft entered this partnership with Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)to teach school-aged children in Russia to cook healthy foods, increase physical activity and grow nutritious foods in school gardens.

How Kraft 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 Oblast near Kraft’s coffee packing plant. In 2008, the program expanded, adding six more schools in Moscow. Each school has individualized projects to encourage healthy breakfasts and active play, as well as growing and cooking food. The schools also receive funding for physical education equipment and kitchen appliances.

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