Pinaglabanan Elementary School

Nothing beats the power of knowledge.

Believing that children should be taught early on about the values that will help them become productive citizens of the country, Zest-O Corporation, manufacturer and distributor of first-ready-to-drink juice drink and other food products, has come up with projects that would help young children realize the importance of being healthy and appreciate the beauty of art.

A beautiful surrounding is a healthy surrounding

Zest-O Corporation has been around the country for 30 years now and it has been involved in various projects that help build better communities.

One of the most recent projects the company launched was the “Zest-O Wall Art Contest.” In 2009, the project was launched in almost 300 schools nationwide and its first phase just ended in June 2010. “The contest aims to encourage children to beautify their surroundings using art as a medium,” Lim said.

The participating schools were given art materials so the students can paint on the walls within the campus. “Our theme was all about healthy living and we were surprised how talented our young kids are,” he explained.

Lim said that the wall art contest will be conducted in several phases to be able to reach their goal of beautifying schools using the talents of the students. “We want the students to learn the value of having a beautiful surrounding while expressing themselves through art. And since our theme is all about healthy living, they will also learn the importance of nutrition in the process,” said Lim.

During the first phase of the wall art contest, the winning schools include Lucas Pascual Elementary School in Quezon City (first prize); Lakandula Elementary School in Manila (second prize); and Las Pinas Elementary School in Las Pinas City (third prize).

The nutrition program and the second phase of the wall art contest will be conducted through the whole year. “We are really pushing for these kinds of education programs because we would like to help children develop good sets of values that will make them better individuals and citizens of this country later on,” Lim said.

Everything starts with healthy eating

In partnership with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Education (DepEd), Zest-O will soon be launching its nutrition program in almost 100 schools nationwide.

Dubbed, “Zest-O Healthy School Program,” children in various elementary schools will engage in activities wherein they will learn the value of eating healthy and nutritious foods.

According to Zest-O marketing manager Christian Lim, the program aims to promote the importance of healthy lifestyle and eating the right sets of foods among school-age children.

“We want children to learn that being healthy starts with eating healthy and nutritious foods,” he explained. The program, which will be launched simultaneously in various schools in Metro Manila and in nearby provinces, will treat the children to a whole day of fun-filled activities wherein they will be informed about various kinds of healthy and nutritious foods.

With the help of mascots, children will be given information on the importance of eating the right foods at the right time as well as the nutrition that they can get from the foods that they eat. “You cannot get the attention of the children when you just talk about the message of the program that is why we are incorporating play in our school visits,” Lim explained.

Lim said that the program will also target the parents of the children as well as their teachers. “Kids cannot do it alone that is why we also want to inform the parents that they can prepare healthy and nutritious foods without having to spend so much money,” he added.

The parents will be gathered in one area where talks will be conducted by personalities and other health experts. “We will be bringing in professionals such as doctors and nutritionists to explain to the parents the value of healthy lifestyle and eating in their children’s development,” Lim said.

During the school visit, teachers will also be asked to participate in the program. “There will also be seminars conducted for them so they can incorporate the value of nutrition in their students while they are teaching various subjects in class,” he revealed.

Aside from educating kids on eating healthy and nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, the concept of recycling will be incorporated during the whole-year school tours. At the end of the school visit, kids will have a chance to taste healthy and nutritious foods. They will be also given healthy drinks, the ZestO juice drinks which come in yummy fruit flavors like orange, apple, grape, and pineapple.

“Our juices are packed with Vitamin C and are proven to have the lowest sugar content compared with other brands in the market,” Lim said.