The Hunger Free World Initiative seeks to provide 3.6 million meals annually to schoolchildren
New Delhi: Kozhikode-based Malabar Gold & Diamonds has announced the expansion of its Hunger Free World initiative to Zambia, aiming to provide 3.6 million meals annually to schoolchildren, a release by the company said on Tuesday.
The programme commences at John Laing Primary School in Lusaka, benefiting 6,000 children in Africa, the release added.
The Hunger Free World programme aims to address child malnutrition, gender disparities in education, and community development in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Zambia.
“Malabar Group has consistently led the charge in championing philanthropy that uplifts communities. Our Hunger Free World initiative has successfully alleviated hunger for thousands in India achievement that fills us with immense pride,” said M.P. Ahammed, Chairman of Malabar Group.
The chairman has pledged an additional 1 million meals from his funds for another school with a strength of 6000 students identified by Minister Syakalima. Malabar Gold & Diamonds will construct a kitchen and eating shelter at John Laing Primary School, providing 10,000 meals daily in the first phase.
Honourable Douglas Syakalima, Zambia’s Minister of Education said that John Laing Primary School serves a large population of underprivileged students in Zambia, making it an ideal starting point for this project.
“The Hunger Free World project is poised to make a positive impact on our community, especially among school-going children in Zambia who have been grappling with a lack of access to nutritious meals,” he said.
Chairman M.P. Ahammed emphasised the responsibility to give back to Africa, especially as the company sources its jewellery’s raw material from the continent.
The Hunger Free World initiative, launched in 2022 in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal-2, currently operates numerous kitchens in India, providing 30,000 nutritious meals daily. Malabar Group is gearing up to expand the ‘Hunger Free World’ project to additional areas in collaboration with customers and Malabar Group employees. The objective is to distribute one early meal daily to one lakh deserving people in India.
Established in 1993, Malabar Gold & Diamonds is the flagship company of the Malabar Group, a leading diversified Indian business conglomerate. With an annual turnover of $5.2 billion, the company currently ranks as the 6th largest jewellery retailer globally. It boasts a robust retail network of over 340 outlets across 14 countries, along with multiple offices, design centres, wholesale units, and factories spanning India, the Middle East, the Far East, the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Since its inception in 1993, Malabar Group has committed 5% of net profits to ESG initiatives in each country of operation, focusing on Health, Hunger Free World, Housing, Education, Women Empowerment, and Environment.
