‘What I eat is my strength’ — Bolivia declares war on junk food
On World Food Day, the World Food Programme (WFP) partners with youth, artists and nutritionists to promote better nutrition
On the wall of one of the stations of the Mi Teleférico cable car in the Bolivian capital La Paz, a teenage girl ponders over the fight between a healthy and cool broccoli and a greasy hamburger.
The mural painting and the slogan that goes with it — ‘What I eat is my strength’ — are the result of a collective effort by WFP and partners, including youth, artists and nutritionists, to encourage better eating habits.
“Choosing healthy, fresh and local food is key to eliminating all forms of malnutrition — one of the main challenges to achieving Zero Hunger by 2030,” says Elisabeth Faure Country Director of WFP Bolivia.
“In Bolivia, six out of 10 women of reproductive age are overweight or obese, and three out of 10 suffer from anaemia. This is why we chose a teenage girl for the painting,” Faure continues.
The location of the art work — unveiled to mark World Food Day on 16 October — allows its message to reach thousands of people every day and to be seen both from the ground and from above.
“Being part of this initiative was a very formative experience for us and it made us question our own eating habits,” say artists Álvaro Álvarez and Valeria Vásquez. “We hope our painting will seize the attention of young people and help them reflect on the way they eat and on the situation of nutrition in this country.”
