NONO wins 5th king Hamad Youth Empowerment Award People Award for innovation against child malnutrition in Africa
Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain |
Oliver Mwalongo, Founder and President of NONO Initiative, has received the prestigious King Hamad Award for Youth Empowerment to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, under the People Award category, at the fifth edition of the award ceremony in Manama, the capital of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in the Middle East.
The award was presented by His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, who was delegated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to honor the award winners. The ceremony recognized outstanding contributions by young people and organizations towards advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Through NONO Initiative, Oliver Mwalongo is advancing innovative, community-driven nutritious solutions for every child to address child malnutrition in Tanzania. Her work focus on strengthening household food systems, improving access to nutritious complementary foods for young children and creating economic opportunities for vulnerable women.
Speaking after receiving the award, Oliver Mwalongo said:
"This recognition is deeply meaningful, not only to me but to the vulnerable families, women and children whose everyday food insecurity inspires our work. This award belongs to every person who believes that a child's right to nutritious food should not depend only on aids but their family's ability to provide regardless of economic circumstances or climate crisis"
Her message to the world:
Oliver further called on governments, development institutions, the private sector and young innovators worldwide to treat child malnutrition as a shared responsibility rather than a challenge left to vulnerable families and communities.
"My message to the world is that we cannot talk about sustainable development while millions of children are still struggling to access nutritious food. Protecting children from malnutrition requires more than promises, Every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves the opportunity to grow, develop and thrive."
For NONO Initiative, this international recognition marks an important milestone and strengthens its commitment to expanding community nutrition innovations, empowering vulnerable households and ensuring that more children have access to the nutritious food they need to grow and thrive.
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