GENKIプログラム5周年を迎えての振り返り
【2019年4月の活動報告】
By April, we distributed approximately 1.24 million meals (progress rate: 53%) against Euglena cookie distribution target of 2.3 million meals for this term (October 2018-September 2019).
Looking back on the 1.5th anniversary
The GENKI program, which started in April 2014, was able to celebrate its 5th anniversary in April 2019. As of the end of April 2019, the total number of distributed Euglena cookies has exceeded 7.64 million meals. At the beginning of the program, we delivered Euglena cookies to about 3,000 children a day, but as of the end of April 2019, 58 schools, about 10,000 children. We distribute Euglena cookies 5 days a week. Euglena In addition to cookie distribution, we have been conducting blood tests since April 2016 to measure the effectiveness of the GENKI program. We also promote dietary and hygiene education to improve children's nutrition.
This time, we would like to introduce the current situation of children eating Euglena cookies as they celebrate their 5th anniversary. Urumi and Yashin (Photo 1), 5th grade and 12 years old, have been eating Euglena cookies for breakfast since the beginning of 2014. Both of them are growing healthy by eating Euglena cookies. On the other hand, unlike Japan, there are many children who have to drop out due to family reasons. The girl introduced in the June 2016 report (Photo 2) dropped out of school at the age of 13 in 2018 due to marriage. Shojib and Shamin (Photo 3), who had a cheerful smile at the start of 2014, also dropped out of school due to family reasons when they were in the fifth grade of 2016, and are now working as day laborers at a construction site. Is working. Not all children can continue to eat Euglena cookies in this way. However, we will continue to pursue what we can do so that as many children as possible can continue to eat Euglena cookies. We will continue our activities in anticipation of further increasing our sales and dramatically increasing the number of children targeted for Euglena cookie distribution.
Photo-1: 12-year-old Yashin and Urumi who have been eating Euglena
Photo-2: Girls in 2014 (left) and 2016 (right)
Photo-3: Shojib (left) and Shamin (right) in 2014
2. Introducing Nipa-chan, who sells vegetables to help households
How do you think food is sold in Bangladesh? In Bangladesh, street vendors selling fresh fish, vegetables and fruits side by side (Photo 4) and family-owned retailers are common.
This month, we will introduce Nipa-chan (11 years old) who collects damaged vegetables at the market and sells them on the streets of slums. These vegetables are mainly those that are damaged or damaged and discarded when the truck unloads the ingredients on the market. Nipa lives in a family of six, a father, a mother, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. Dad has day labor and light truck driver work, and his monthly income is about 16,000 yen. My mother worked as a housekeeper, but for about a year I was sick and couldn't work. Therefore, Nipa-chan has decided to go to work. Nipa wakes up at 4am and goes to the market at 4:30 am, a 15-minute walk from her home. At the market, vegetables and fruits are transported by truck from rural areas every morning and sold to purchasers. Nipa finds and collects the vegetables that will be discarded at the place where the truck unloads the ingredients. They will be sold on the street 5 minutes walk from home from 6:30 to 7:30 before going to school in the morning. Occasionally, they will be sold on the street from 16:00 to 18:00 after returning home. This will earn you about 200 yen a day. Since I work 20 days a month, I earn about 4,000 yen a month. Vegetables are usually sold out, and unsold vegetables are eaten by the family.
School teachers find it very dangerous for Nipa to go to the market alone or sell food on the streets at night. I used to go to the market at night to collect unsold vegetables. However, the teacher persuaded his parents and now he only goes to the market early in the morning. My parents also explain the situation to the market managers and those who are also collecting food, and go to the market with them early in the morning, so that Nipa can work safely.
Photo-4: Vegetables sold on the side of the road
Photo-5: Nipa-chan selling vegetables near her house
Thank you for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Overseas Business Development Department / Bangladesh Office