In 1978, Nestlé developed a Programme of Assistance to Schools, through which significant help was given to the school community of children from poor homes. Most of the schools were located in the rural areas of the country. By means of this programme the students are provided with Nestlé products, as well as school and didactic material, school uniforms and shoes. Nestlé also cooperates in the maintenance of the buildings and their services. The Programme provides assistance to 18 schools that belong to the primary school level. The schools are distributed at a national level and 4,500 children attend them.

As part of the Programme, in 2004 the situation of every school was analyzed more deeply, and changes were introduced. An alliance with the Argentine Red Cross helped to achieve this. This entity is currently pursuing the field work which will allow us to count on social indicators to develop a diagnosis about the needs of the schools, the needs of their students and the most significant needs of the nearby community.

One of the related projects in which we are working on is the Programa Nutrir (Nourishing Programme), which is envisaged as a long-term programme for children who attend these schools, and which could also be applied to other institutions or communities that may require it. The contents of the programme are aimed at developing concepts related to feeding, providing and expanding the knowledge on nutrition so that the children may acquire this knowledge and then pass it on to their families and, eventually, to the community.

We are also working on the design of a Programme of Corporate Voluntary work and have carried out a survey among staff interested in taking part of this activity. We have had a very good response, and the most encouraging aspect is that the collaborators have shown themselves interested in activities that the Company is already in charge of: children, school support, food and clothing. The implementation of this programme is envisaged for the second semester of the year. All the collaborators of the Company who wish to be part of this idea will be able to participate in this programme.