World hunger is on the rise. 1 in 9 people struggle with daily food insecurity. Access to nutritious, sufficient food is a critical human right, and we must protect the most vulnerable among us—our children.

Nourish the Children

In 2002, Nu Skin took action to address the tragedy of childhood hunger and malnutrition with the development of the Nourish the Children initiative. The program begins with VitaMeal, a nutrient-dense food that is shipped to starving children around the world. Nu Skins' sales leaders, customers, and employees can purchase and donate VitaMeal*.

Once donated it is sent to a third-party, non-profit organization that specializes in distributing relief to those suffering from malnutrition and famine. More than 120,000 children are getting food and the nutrients they need every day because of Vitameal and the Nourish the Children initiative.

VitaMeal

Unlike simple grains with a mostly caloric benefit, VitaMeal is a nutrient-dense food scientifically formulated to meet the nutritional needs of malnourished children. As part of the overall development of VitaMeal, Nu Skin's nutritional scientists determined the ingredients and ratios that were well suited for a malnourished child. The result is a product that provides essential vitamins and minerals, with a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber. To date, more than 650 million servings of nutritious VitaMeal have already fed hungry children throughout the world! And we're just getting started.

Children in Malawi

Children at St. Francis Catholic Primary School in Malawi have taken sustainability to a personal level. Vitameal comes in durable bags to ensure safe delivery and preservation. After nourishing their bodies with VitaMeal, the children have started to reuse the empty bags to carry their school supplies. By attaching string to these durable bags, they have resourcefully found a solution to help them in their education.

The bags easily carry all their essential school materials including notebooks, pens, erasers, and/or snacks in one pack. The parents and the children are grateful for this solution as it has allowed for money, that would have gone to a school bag, to go to other necessities. For some, they would have had to carry their supplies in their hands to and from school. This provides all students a way to transport their essentials for learning.

Speaking with some of the students at St Francis Catholic Primary School, Yankho Levisoni and Delile Joseph, both age 8, their excitement for VitaMeal and the bags could not be hidden. They indicated the bags protect their books from rain and enable everything to stay clean and free from the dust that is common in Malawi.

Ms Patness Makisemu who runs a VitaMeal feeding program nearby the school said, “We are grateful for VitaMeal because it helps us with both nutrition and education. Concerning the use of the bags, it's fun to see how excited the children are to receive one and how this simple thing can make a difference for both the environment and their education.”

What started as a mission to feed malnourished children around the world has encouraged creativity and innovation to lead a brighter future. To learn more about Nourish the Children and all of Nu Skin’s initiatives visit our Force For Good website.

*Nu Skin is a for-profit distributor of nutritional and skin care products and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NUS). Nourish the Children is an initiative of Nu Skin and is registered in some states as a commercial co-venture. The initiative enables Nu Skin’s Brand Affiliates and customers to purchase VitaMeal from Nu Skin and donate it to charitable organizations to help solve the complex world problem of feeding malnourished children. The price of VitaMeal includes the cost of manufacturing, general overhead, distribution and sales. As is the case with other Nu Skin products, Brand Affiliates are paid bonuses and Nu Skin earns a profit margin from each sale of VitaMeal.