Danone Nutricia volunteers for ‘Run for Syria' campaign to support refugee children

It was an initiative out of ordinary. Danone Nutricia Middle East, a specialized baby nutrition division of the leading food company Danone, launched a unique initiative called ‘Run for Syria' as part of its commitment to support the refugee children ravaged by the ongoing civil conflict in Syria.

Employees of Danone Nutricia Middle East volunteered and contributed to the ‘Run for Syria' initiative during the 12th Johnson Arabia Dubai Half Marathon held recently at Dubai Creek, which brought together over 2,000 runners from over 70 countries.

Five runners came together in the fundraising circuit to support the ‘Run for Syria' campaign to help the refugee children in Syria. The initiative is part of a bigger campaign by Danone Nutricia Middle East that started in Lebanon, under the campaign ‘War on Hunger'.

Eric Van Der Hoeven, General Manager of Danone Nutricia Middle East, said: “We are happy with our volunteer-initiative ‘Run for Syria', which is aimed at supporting the children affected by the conflict in Syria. The AED16,000 raised from the Half Marathon will go directly to the registered NGOs to support their programs by covering the basic needs of the Syrian children.”

One of the participants in the Run for Syria campaign, Mr Srini Subramanian, said: “We worked really hard to make this happen and pushed our limits; and nothing beats the feeling when I know a smile will be brought to a mother's face once her baby's life is saved.”

Mira El Ghaziri, another participant, said: “It's a great feeling – but the best part is when you know that we ended up supporting our cause and helping the babies in the refugee camps in Lebanon, currently living in extreme cold weather with no basic needs, not even sanitized water”.

The company's ‘War on Hunger' initiative helped feed 14,000 babies, making up to 3% of total babies in Syria. With every Euro 5 donated by the employees, a starving baby was fed for one month. All donations were used to supply baby milk products to NGOs, particularly Red Cross.