GENKIプログラム、ユーグレナクッキーにレモン風味を追加
【2017年5月の活動報告】
1. Start of Ramadan (fasting month)
The average school attendance rate for children in early May was about 70%, the same as last month. The average number of meals distributed per day was about 8,700 in April and about 8,800 in early May. Ramadan (fasting month) will start again this year from May 27, and most schools will be closed during Ramadan, so the number of distributions will be almost zero every year. With the aim of solving this problem, we are considering introducing a system that allows children to receive cookies by deciding the distribution time with the cooperation of teachers who are coming to school even when the school is closed. Currently, 9 out of 39 schools support and cooperate with this method.
2. Add lemon flavor to Euglena
There are two types of Euglena cookies currently distributed under the GENKI program: butter and milk. These two are standard tastes in Bangladesh, and many children eat them deliciously, but sometimes they get tired of the same taste.
Therefore, we considered introducing a new taste from the idea that "I want children to continue Euglena cookies deliciously. I also want to contribute to improving the attendance rate by having them look forward to cookies."
First, we asked Nabisco, which outsources cookie production, to make three types of cookie flavors: lemon, orange, and pineapple. We held a tasting party for 360 children, compared their tastes, and asked them to vote. All the children liked it and hesitated to narrow it down to one taste, but in the end, the refreshing lemon flavor, which is different from the sweet flavors such as butter and milk, became the first place, and it is new. We decided to use lemon-flavored cookies. In the future, we would like to consider adopting chocolate and nut flavors, which were popular in the previous survey, as new flavors while working to solve cost issues.
Photo-1: Delighted with the new lemon-flavored cookies
Photo-2: A teacher carrying a box containing three types of cookies
3. Conducted the third blood test
The blood test, which has been conducted every six months since April 2016, has reached its third time, and has been conducted at the same three schools as the second time. People living in slums basically have no experience in health examinations or blood tests, so we pay attention to giving explanations so that they can fully understand the mechanism of blood tests.
There are two inspection days for each school, but sometimes not all of them get together on a fixed day, so after re-arranging the schedule with the pediatrics teacher, we have to add another one-day inspection day. You may have to. As with the first and second blood tests in the past, most children's mothers were worried and went to school this time as well.
Therefore, this time, Bangladesh took advantage of the strong ties with the local community, and in addition to holding briefing sessions for parents, we also conducted activities to encourage local leaders to undergo blood tests. On the day of the test, a local representative from Bangladesh, who oversees the GENKI program, also went to the site to watch over the blood test. Then, the children who finished collecting blood were given juice as a reward. After the end, we thanked all the people who cooperated and said that we would like to continue the GENKI program in the future.
In this way, I feel that the cooperation of the local people is a proof that this program has been recognized not only by the school but also by the local people. We were all relieved to be able to complete the blood test safely this time as well.
Photo-3: A blood test. Children who are afraid of needles, as in Japan
Photo-4: A mother showing anxious facial expressions before a blood test
Photo-5: Children and local representatives receiving juice after a blood test
4. Job introduction of local staff Shahid
This month, I would like to introduce the work of local staff, Shahid. He is in charge of keeping in touch with NGOs and schools on a daily basis and coordinating the program to run smoothly. For example, we check the stock of cookies with the teachers of each school every week, and if there is a school with low stock, we will inform Nabisco (NABISCO) of the production and delivery schedule so that we can arrange cookies immediately. It is important to keep in touch, as some schools do not allow you to communicate by email. In addition, in blood tests, we participate in all interactions with the hospital teachers and schools in charge of the tests, as well as with parents, and strive to ensure that the tests are carried out safely.
When he was a student, he used to gather children who couldn't go to school because of their disabilities and taught them to study. From that experience, understand the family environment of the children as much as possible. I think it is important to have a friendly discussion with my parents. We visit children's homes, listen to their true intentions about the GENKI program together, and carefully explain that well-balanced nutrition is important for the growth of children.
Going forward, we will continue to build good relationships with as many parents as possible and take the lead in conducting home visits so that Euglena
Photo-6: Interaction with parents and children who have completed a blood test
Thank you for your continued support.
Euglena Co., Ltd.
Overseas Business Development Department / Bangladesh Office