Amway India, one of the country’s largest FMCG direct selling companies, Wednesday launched the ‘POWER OF 5’ campaign to address the rising problem of malnutrition among children in India. The Power of 5 is a community-based campaign targeted at mothers and caregivers of children under the age of 5 years. The campaign aims to improve the nutritional knowledge and practices inclusive of complementary feeding, hygiene practices, growth monitoring, and dietary diversity. The campaign further aims to identify and manage the malnourished children, and those with infections, by developing synergies among the service providers of associated departments (Integrated Child Development Scheme, Health and Sanitation) for improved services and timely referrals.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), roughly 7 million children under the age of 5 die each year from preventable causes across the globe. Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45% of these deaths according to the WHO. In India, malnutrition among children is a major concern too, belying nation’s increasing economic achievement. According to a recent report by the World Bank, approximately 8 million Indian children suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (very low weight to height ratio). According to the National Health Family Survey, 36% of children in India below the age of 5 years are under-weight. The report further states that 38% are stunted, 21% are wasted, 7.5% are severely wasted, and 58% are anaemic (Stunting: Low height for age; Wasted & Severely Wasted: Low weight for height; Underweight: Low weight for age).

Speaking about the launch of this programme, Mr Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India said, “At Amway India, we are committed to using our vast global experience in nutrition and wellness to contribute to the Government of India’s National Nutrition Mission to raise the nutrition levels in the country. From our experience, we understand that the foundation for healthy development and overall well-being starts with optimal nutrition in the first 5 years of life. With the launch of the Power of 5 campaign, our aim is to raise awareness on the issue of childhood malnutrition and bring in the much-needed behavioural shift in mothers and communities at large. This programme has been very successful globally – benefitting over a lakh child across more than 23 countries every year. We are pleased to launch this initiative in India and hope to make a positive impact in the lives of as many children and families as possible.”