Ensuring underprivileged youth eat right to play right
ZURICH Insurance Malaysia Bhd (Zurich) is collaborating with World Vision International, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) and One Goal Malaysia – a movement initiated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), to bring about a four-year integrated community programme called Eat Right to Play Right.
Leveraging on Malaysians’ passion for football, the initiative seeks to use the sport as a platform to educate children on the importance of nutrition as well as instil in them the value of selfdiscipline and sportsmanship.
The programme is part of Zurich’s long-term corporate social responsibility effort driven by its #TrueLoveForOurChildren initiative. As such, it will be contributing RM1 million per year to develop and coexecute the programme over four years.
The target groups are children aged between five and 12 years who will be selected based on their needs, nutritional status, and poverty levels, from both urban and rural communities in the Peninsula as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
The activities planned are divided into two categories that revolve around physical and educational programmes.
With the support of World Vision Malaysia and FAM, activities such as the football clinics and nutrition workshops are designed to have a fun and interesting approach in educating children on making wise food decisions.
Eat Right to Play Right is expected to benefit more than 140 teams, 280 community coaches and 3,000 children by 2020.
Zurich’s chief executive officer Philip Smith said at the launch that this initiative reflects the company’s commitment to continuously promote health and wellness among the youth.
“We believe that investing in early childhood development, particularly in tackling child malnutrition through this exciting programme could yield significant long-term effects as they are motivated to adopt these healthy behaviours as a lifelong practice.
“This will create a brighter and healthier future for our children.”
With 25% of Malaysian children diagnosed as overweight and 16.1% as underweight, the programme aims to reduce both numbers by 13% at the end of the four-year collaboration.
Participating children will have their health monitored before and after the programme.
Apart from improving the health and nutritional status of our children, the programme also has other longterm objectives that are in line with the National Plan of Action for Nutrition and the National Football Development Plan.
These include providing children and communities with the knowledge, skills and access needed to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as elevating the standard of local football by creating a larger pool of quality players at the grassroots level.
“I am confident that this partnership will bring positive lifestyle changes to local children from underprivileged backgrounds throughout Malaysia as we grow the sport at the grassroots level,” said Terry Leong, spokesperson for One Goal Malaysia.
Also present at the launch were Education Ministry’s Sports Division assistant director Anuar Idris, FAM assistant secretary general Lazarus Jansen Xavier, AFC social responsibility head Dr Annathurai Raganathan, Health Ministry’s Nutrition Division senior assistant director Hasyami Saihun and World Vision Malaysia CEO Datuk K.J. Abraham.
For more on the Eat Right to Play Right programme, visit the Zurich Insurance Malaysia website. – Denissa Goh