One million reasons to believe in Colombia

ON A QUEST TO FIGHT HUNGER IN COLOMBIA

A report published by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) in 2024 stated that one in three people in Colombia live in a situation of financial poverty, which means that more than 17 million people survive on an income of less than 100 euros a month (less than 450,000 Colombian pesos). The situation is even more serious for children: 31% of those aged under five suffer from food poverty, with 7% experiencing severe food poverty. So, despite its natural wealth, economic potential and diversity, Colombia faces critical challenges in terms of poverty, hunger and vulnerability, especially among its younger populations.

In view of this situation, an undeniable need for private welfare investment in Colombia drove Ara to launch in 2024 an ambitious private welfare investment plan, called “One Million Reasons”. The plan, backed by investment of one million euros (4.5 billion Colombian pesos), means to improve the quality of life for more than 60,000 people in 90 municipalities in Colombia, with a special focus on children, young people and mothers.

Ara wants to continue to be the number one ally of the community at large.

The investment supports a series of projects designed to address the most urgent needs in the country’s most underprivileged regions. These projects are in line with two fundamental pillars of the Group’s responsibility strategy: promoting good health through food and supporting surrounding communities. The initiatives include programmes to reduce infant undernutrition and malnutrition, to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations and to improve education as a key tool for social change.

Pedro Soares dos Santos, Chairman of the Jerónimo Martins Group, stressed the importance of the investment at the launch event that took place in June 2024 in Meddelín, stating that “Colombia is an incredible country and there are a million reasons to believe in it and work for it. Our commitment to its development is and will always be the same” because “we want to go a little further than the generation of employment itself, the joint development with the industry or the value offer of our business in low prices, variety and proximity. We want to continue to be the number one ally of the community at large.”

In a country where poverty and inequality are still significant challenges, this type of private initiative is crucial.

At the same event, Nuno Sereno, CEO of Ara, said that “every peso of investment we have announced is in reality a reason to keep on contributing to improving the quality of life in Colombia, on the basis of the values and principles that we, as a company, have always supported: nutrition, as something built into our business, and support for communities, our neighbours, to create the optimism and verve we look for wherever we go”.

ARA’S “ONE MILLION REASONS” PROGRAMME

The action plan of the “One Million Reasons” programme in Colombia is based on the collaboration with key allies such as UNICEF, with whom Ara is managing initiatives for a comprehensive approach to early childhood in Tumaco, in order to ensure a quality education for the children in the municipality. The Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF) is working with Ara to support around 3,000 community mothers, by distributing:

• Vouchers that can be exchanged for food parcels, so as to improve food security and ensure that Colombian girls and boys enjoy good nutrition;
• Educational kits to 1,500 mothers, to accompany educational work about healthy diet and nutrition, and a band for measuring arm circumference, enabling early identification of cases of infant undernutrition.

Another example of projects being supported by “One Million Reasons” is a joint undertaking with Nestlé, which has been a key ally in stressing the importance of combining the efforts of the private sector, working in conjunction with other companies that share Ara’s purpose of creating value and sharing it.

In a country where poverty and inequality are still significant challenges, this type of private initiative is crucial for complementing the efforts of the public sector and for bringing fairer and more sustainable development. With “One Million Reasons”, Ara has not just reaffirmed its commitment to Colombia but has also made a real and practical difference to the quality of life of thousands of Colombians, especially those in most need.

Each child who benefits from adequate nutrition, every mother who is helped to improve her family’s living conditions, is a reason to believe in the transformative power of solidarity and private investment in welfare.