Mastercard has launched a commendable initiative in partnership with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative and the Food for Education Foundation, aimed at providing over 300,000 meals to schoolchildren in underserved communities in Nigeria and Kenya. This program is part of a broader cause marketing campaign initiated in February 2024, which was developed in collaboration with Glovo, a multi-category app that connects consumers with various services, including restaurants and local retailers. The aim is to address the critical issue of child hunger, particularly in regions where access to nutritious meals is severely limited, thereby ensuring that children have the necessary sustenance to focus on their education and achieve their full potential.
Central to this initiative is the model whereby every transaction made using a Mastercard-branded card on the Glovo app in Nigeria and Kenya results in a meal being donated to a child in need. This unique approach not only promotes the use of Mastercard cards but also leverages the capabilities of Glovo to provide direct community support. According to the World Food Programme, malnourished children face significant educational disadvantages, being 19% less likely to read and 12% less likely to write a simple sentence by age eight. These statistics starkly highlight the detrimental impact of inadequate nutrition, not just on education but also on long-term economic outcomes, as children with proper nutrition have a 33% greater chance of escaping poverty as adults.
Folasade Femi-Lawal, Mastercard’s Country Manager and Area Business Head for West Africa, emphasizes that the core principle guiding Mastercard’s efforts is the belief in doing well by doing good. The collaboration with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative and Glovo is a strategic response to combat child hunger, allowing children to focus on their studies instead of the distraction caused by empty stomachs. This initiative aligns with Mastercard’s broader vision to create sustainable positive social impact and enhance community empowerment through strategic partnerships.
Supporting this sentiment, Diego Nouet, General Manager for Glovo Sub-Saharan Africa, remarked on the power of collaboration to create meaningful change. By partnering with Mastercard, Glovo aims to extend its impact from mere convenience to actively addressing community needs. They recognize that reliable access to meals significantly influences children’s ability to attend school; therefore, this partnership is set to broaden the scope of reach, ensuring that more children are nourished and prepared to learn effectively.
Michael Sunbola, the founder and Executive Director of the Lagos Food Bank Initiative, echoed the commitment to fostering the future success of children through consistent nourishment. He highlighted that for many children, the provision of reliable meals can be pivotal in deciding whether they attend school or remain at home. This collaboration is seen as a vital step towards building a stable foundation for children’s future educational and economic success.
Overall, the Mastercard initiative, in collaboration with the Lagos Food Bank Initiative and Glovo, represents a concerted effort to combat food insecurity among schoolchildren in Nigeria and Kenya. By integrating corporate social responsibility with practical support mechanisms, the program not only addresses immediate nutritional needs but also lays the groundwork for long-term educational and economic benefits for the next generation. The transformative power of combined resources demonstrates how strategic partnerships can drive social impact and create sustainable community development in underserved regions.
