[afro-nets] South African children's program receive first Heart Hero Award

["Catherine Coleman" <ccoleman5@partners.org>]

Dear colleagues,

I am forwarding this story about a South African program that may be adaptable, replicable, and inspiring in other parts of Africa, which I thought you might find of interest.
 
On October 23, 2007, dozens of children, staff, local media, an oversized and colorful character named "Hearty," and community members participated in a joyous celebration when ProCor's first Louise Lown Heart Hero Award was presented to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa Children's Programme. World-renowned cardiologist Professor Lionel Opie, a member of ProCor's International Advisory Council, presented the award on ProCor's behalf at an outdoor ceremony with flourishing vegetable gardens in the background. The Foundation's "Sow a Seed" project helps young children from impoverished settings develop heart healthy habits by engaging them in activities such as growing vegetables for their daily meals. 

The event was held  Nosizwe Educare in Khayelitsha, one of the Cape Town crèches currently benefiting from the Children's Programme. The creche's children "were in high spirits," reported a staff member. They sang songs for their guests about "Hearty" and gave a tour of their gardens, proudly showing off their fruits and vegetables.

The Heart Hero award was established this year by ProCor founder Dr. Bernard Lown to recognize innovative, preventive approaches to cardiovascular health in developing countries and other low-resource settings. Cardiovascular disease, which is rapidly increasing in developing countries, is the leading cause of death worldwide. Recipient programs receive US$1000 and global visibility through ProCor. 

"The Louise Lown Heart Hero Award aims to identify community innovators who do not merely inform about prevention, but mobilize people to live healthier lives. The first recipient, The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa Children's Programme, has responded to heart disease and hunger by promoting sound nutrition through community gardens. It is thereby seeding change, instilling hope, and promoting health," says Dr. Bernard Lown. 

The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa Children's Programme, a community-based project serving 1.7 million children, promotes heart healthy lifestyles among young people from both rural and urban disadvantaged communities. Child-care providers use music, activity books, and games to teach youngsters about nutrition, physical activity, the effects of smoking, and other health issues such as HIV/AIDS and rheumatic fever. 

The Sow-a-Seed project teaches gardening skills and basic nutrition information to members of poor communities--be they parents, teachers, or volunteers?in order to provide healthy food for childcare centers. Fresh vegetables, planted and harvested by children and adults working together, become part of the school meals and provide essential vitamins and minerals.  Heart and Stroke Foundation dieticians consult with caregivers to create meals that are nutritious and within budget. For many children, the meal they receive at daycare is the only meal of the day. 

"When all you can afford is one meal a day, the focus is, understandably, on filling the tummy rather than nutrition. We saw a need for a project that makes it possible to add healthy, nutritious fresh vegetables to the basic diet," says Robert de Souza, The Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa's CEO. "With community involvement, vacant land in the townships is turned into vegetable gardens. We hope this award will attract support for Sow-a-Seed so that we may expand the program." 

Dr. Lown of ProCor created the Heart Hero award to honor his wife Louise Lown and her lifelong commitment to the rights and well-being of others as a social worker, activist, and writer. A review committee of cardiology and public health specialists chose this year's winner from a pool of applications from across the globe, including India, Philippines, Brazil, Iran, and Papua New Guinea. 

Please join us in congratulating our South African colleagues for their innovative and successful efforts to promote heart health!

Applications for the Louise Lown Heart Hero Award are welcome year-round. To be considered for the 2008 award, please submit applications by April 2008. For more information on the award and the application process, visit http://www.procor.org, or contact Juan Ramos, ProCor Program Coordinator, at mailto:jramos3@partners.org.

Catherine Coleman
Editor in Chief
ProCOR
Lown Cardiovascular Research Foundation
21 Longwood Avenue, Brookline, MA 02446 USA
617 732 1318 x3332 
http://www.procor.org
mailto:ccoleman5@partners.org

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