Amway El Salvador Joins Forces with the Gloria de Kriete Foundation (GKF) to Address Childhood Malnutrition

Aug 18, 2016 9:25 AM ET

Partnership. It’s a unique blend of trust, respect, and dedication directed toward a specific cause.

It’s that exact kind of partnership Amway found when it joined forces with the Gloria de Kriete Foundation (GKF) in October 2015 to address the critical issue of childhood malnutrition in El Salvador.

“As we were looking to launch the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign here we looked for a strong local partner, one that had a solid reputation and was well known in the community,” said Carmen Juarez, marketing manager for Amway Central America. “GKF had just that!”

The Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign provides children age 5 and under with a daily micronutrient called Nutrilite™ Little Bits™.  Each one gram packet contains the 15 essential vitamins and minerals that children need to survive, thrive, and grow.

Celina de Kriete, executive director of the Gloria de Kriete Foundation, said “As an NGO, we are unable to fight malnutrition and anemia just by educating mothers. The scientifically proven Little Bits product was a nice complement to our ongoing work.”

The Campaign officially launched on October 14, 2015, and currently more than 700 children participate. Each child is seen by Foundation’s health staff once a month in eight surrounding communities. The goal is to reach 1,000 children by the end of this year.

But the partnership doesn’t end there. Top Amway Business Owners from El Salvador, Matías & Marta Alfaro, have also embraced and promoted the success of the Nutrilite™ Power of 5 Campaign – even joining in the launch ceremony that received widespread media coverage throughout the country.

Short of one year, the campaign’s positive outcomes are many… just ask Celia Morales.

A mother of two, Celia lives in the community of Valle Nuevo and has a one-year-old, Axel, who suffered from low to moderate malnutrition. Axel, who entered the program weighing a mere 8.6 kg (19 lbs.), presented signs of anemia and barely emitted sounds except for continuous crying.

Celia started noticing positive changes within the first two months. Axel was more active, smiled more, and has seen healthy gains in his overall weight and size after using Nutrilite Little Bits. After 6 months, Axel now weighs 11kg (24 lbs.), has overcome his malnutrition, and is no longer anemic.

As a living result of a product that changed her family’s life, Celia widely promotes her personal story to other mothers looking to potentially participate in the program.

“The concept of a private company joining forces with an established social organization that has experience in working with the mother-child duo, further consolidates the overall process, in the fight against poverty,” said Kriete. “GKF provides preventive medical care to more than 6,000 families in rural communities in Ahuachapan, Sonsonate and La Union…there’s plenty of room to grow!”

Trust, respect, and a dedication to eliminating childhood malnutrition. It’s the perfect definition of the partnership that Amway El Salvador and GKF share.