I often find it hard to stay motivated being self employed. I am reminded of why I love my job when I see how my little website has made a difference in a person’s life and it keeps me going. As Warren Buffett put it, “If you’re in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent.”
This year, I’m grateful to be working with the Warriors In Pink. I saw the effects of Breast Cancer first hand in high school. It’s a lot harder however to think about problems we do not see with our own eyes like world hunger. I strive to help people practice moderation and make healthier choices but 842 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. The good news is that this number has fallen by 17% since 1990. Still, sadly poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths in children under 5 – 3.1 million children each year.
As you may know, I’ve been working with Truvia® over the past year. In addition to only working with brands that I use and love, it’s also important to me that many give back. The Truvia® brand makes great tasting, zero and reduced calorie sugar alternative made from the natural, sustainably grown stevia leaf. In the communities where the Truvia® brand operates, they have an impact on people and families. They have the ability to make this impact positive by helping to build sustainable communities in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme.
Why Bolivia? The sustainability program was developed and piloted in South America. The stevia plant is native to South America and Bolivia is a region of critical need. Forty percent of the population cannot afford adequate food for a healthy life. With 68% of the population living in primarily rural areas, and 65% of those households cannot afford the minimum caloric intake. Nearly all have micronutrient deficiencies as a result.
Over the course of the past two years, throughout the partnership with the Truvia brand, WFP has worked with local communities to build 125 cleaner stoves which benefited more than 17,000 children. Truvia brand’s contribution in Bolivia also help feed 49,705 Bolivian schoolchildren.
Looking to continue momentum and increase their impact, Truvia is opening up the initiative to work with kids in our backyards in 2014 and are looking for your input.
Who should truvia partner with next? Visit Truvia.com/vote to cast your vote. Choose between the Action for Healthy Kids, Feeding America, United Nations World Food Programme, Edible Schoolyard and Feed the Children.
What organization do you think they should choose next? I voted for Feeding American which is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks and the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity although I hope they continue to world with the WFP and I want to get involved in the Edible Schoolyard myself!
