This is thanks to the Health in Action (HIA) programme.

The programme, which was rolled out in two phases (2015-2019 and 2019-2022), is focused on reducing obesity rates and promoting healthy lifestyles for children.

It combines participatory education in nutrition and healthy choices with access to fresh food via school gardens and regular break-time fitness activities. These are led by INMED-trained unemployed youth.

The second phase of the programme focused on spreading the programme's reach and impact to develop a sustainable healthy lifestyle culture in schools and their surrounding communities.

As the implementing partner, INMED South Africa (an affiliate of INMED Partnerships for Children) has knowledge and experience in developing programmes focusing on challenges that are unique to South Africa.

Its local expertise in health and social enterprises ensured that the programme's impact was measurable as well as meaningful for the parties involved.

Through their peer-to-peer system, the different schools in the programme were able to communicate and learn from each other, thereby creating an ongoing feedback loop with the opportunity for broader learning among the schools and their learners.

Unathi Sihlahla, programme director at INMED South Africa, says the second phase of the programme reached about 315 000 children and 6 974 educators in the three provinces.

"When we started this phase of the programme, a mere 16% of children reported eating vegetables every day. Now, just two years later, this figure has increased to an astonishing 95%," adds Sihlahla.

The success of the second phase of the HIA programme is notable because it was rolled out amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, in addition to eating more vegetables, more children are taking part in 30 minutes of physical exercise (or more) daily. This is up from 61% in 2020 to 90% in 2022.

The report indicates that participants' knowledge of nutrition and healthy lifestyles also increased by 124% from 33% in 2020 to 74% in 2022. All of this has led to an improved body mass index (BMI) — that is, children in the 'normal' BMI range — from 73% in 2020 to 78% in 2022.

Navisha Bechan-Sewkuran, Mondelez International's corporate and government affairs lead for sub-Saharan Africa, says while Mondelez International is a leading producer of snacks, it is committed to inspiring consumers to snack mindfully, with the emphasis on savouring their snacks without overindulging.

"Our purpose is to empower people to snack right by offering the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way," adds Bechan-Sewkuran. "The Health in Action programme is close to our hearts because we understand how important nutrition education is for children."

"Our seven-year partnership with INMED has been highly rewarding, and we salute the 227 Mondelez volunteers, who put their hands up for the second phase of the project — contributing 669 hours of their time to make the initiative a success," concludes Bechan-Sewkuran.

For more information, visit www.inmed.org.za. You can also follow INMED South Africa on Facebook or on Twitter.