The partnership has also led to the development of a hunger map and tracking system that will enhance the organization’s evaluation process and monitoring of meal distribution to its partners, the company said in a statement.
Part of the company’s Social Innovation efforts, the project was launched mid of 2019 and results will be launched in the new year.
Commenting on the initiative, HERE Technologies Vice President (Global Content Operatons) Damandeep Kochhar said as per UNICEF’s 2019 report, malnutrition caused 69 per cent of deaths of children below the age of five in India.
The unavailability of quality nutrition is one of the biggest life threats to a major chunk of India’s population, he said, and added that the ‘Rise Against Hunger’ is known for its continual commitment to eliminate hunger and they have taken commendable steps in providing wholesome meals to people in need.
“This year, not only did we pack 3,00,000 meal packets within two hours, but we also achieved another key milestone – packing the millionth packet globally,” he said.
In the days to come, the meal packets will be distributed to multiple beneficiaries across Maharashtra including children, HIV-positive individuals, women, patients of tuberculosis, and the elderly.
Undernutrition is one of the key issues plaguing India today. In a country where 60 per cent of the population earns less than USD 3 a day, it is not surprising that according to Food and Agriculture Organization, around 195 million people go hungry daily in India with 1 in 4 children being malnourished.
As part of its CSR tenet, HERE Technologies strongly believes in giving back to the society and providing less fortunate communities with necessary resources and welfare measures to help them grow and flourish.
Rise Against Hunger India Executive Director Dola Mohapatra said, “With partners like HERE, every year we come even closer to our vision of eradicating hunger by 2030.”
