Imagine a world where everyone has access to the nourishment they need to thrive

This is the vision that drives our multi- award-winning initiative; The Mobile Teaching Kitchen (MTKi). NNEdPro's Mobile Teaching Kitchen Initiative is a multifaceted and innovative intervention to address malnutrition and diet-related challenges. It tackles malnutrition by empowering communities and sharing knowledge and skills through the medium of nutrition education. The Mobile Teaching Kitchen aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of women, children, and families across communities, especially working within marginalised and underserved communities.

The Scope

We understand the significance of good nutrition and its impact on overall well-being. That is why we are here, passionately committed to equipping individuals and communities with the tools they need to make informed choices about their diets and lifestyles. Through our collaborative efforts, we believe that we can tackle malnutrition head-on and create lasting change.

MTKi features include:

- Innovative Approach: The MTKi model provides an alternative to failing food systems, working towards food and nutrition security for underprivileged populations.

- Data Collection: Local volunteers and health practitioners collect demographic information and assess the nutrition status of participants at the beginning of the programme.

- Collaborative Recipe Creation: We collaborate with communities to co-create extensive recipes that reflect their preferences and dietary needs, using tools like the MyFood24 app for dietary assessment.

- Behavioural Changes: Through effective nutrition education, we empower marginalised communities to improve their nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices, ultimately enhancing their overall health.

- Nutrition Champions: Members from marginalised communities are trained to become nutrition champions and culinary health educators, utilizing the See-One, Do-One, Teach-One (SODOTO) model.

- Micro-Enterprise Development: We foster the formation of micro-businesses, enabling individuals to generate income, achieve financial security, and sustain a healthier lifestyle, breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

- Traditional Storytelling: Nutrition education is imparted through engaging cooking demonstrations and the use of nutritious and cost-effective menu templates.

MTKi Recognitions & Awards

The programme has received various awards for completed work, including the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Nutrition Education Program Impact Award, Glenmark Nutrition Award, Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Award, British Medical Association Research Charities Award, Global Challenges Research Fund Joint Award and many more.

Impact

In India: through our micro-enterprise unit, for every six champions trained, up to 24,000 members are served annually to the public with access to healthy, tasty and low-cost meals that meet all their nutritional requirements.

In Mexico: MTK project team members also provided live feedback to students who presented their ideas for implementing the MTK in Mexico leading to a highly engaging and creative discussion on designing and implementing a successful community-based health intervention. Following the workshops, the students curated a set of recipes as part of a template menu using affordable, locally sourced ingredients. This stage was followed by baseline data collection to understand the needs of the communities. With the help of their educators, the students administered surveys collecting demographics and socioeconomic status data, as well as ascertaining nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP).

In the US: we hosted two ticketed pop-up culinary events in July 2023, with one targeting the Brooklyn community, infused with health messaging. The second event aimed at an external audience, exploring the potential of the New York MTK as a thriving micro-enterprise while disseminating health education across diverse socio-economic groups. Both events were successful, providing valuable insights into the MTK's potential impact in the US.

In the UK: MTKi was launched in Cambourne in April 2023, in partnership with CamCare UK and University of Brighton and paved the way for the NNEdPro-UK roadshow events in September 2023 in various parts of the UK, namely Cambridge, Belfast, Aberdeen and Dundee. The roadshow partnered with the University of Queensland, Center for Community Health & Wellbeing. In September, NNEdPro hosted a series of workshops in Cambridge, Belfast, Aberdeen and Dundee on the Mobile Teaching Kitchen International Initiative. n November, a culinary nutrition education workshop was conducted in Dundee, Scotland. This was in partnership with the Dundee and Angus College, whereby participants learned about different food groups, how to read food labels, and how to make healthy swaps in the recipes and the nutrient profiles for each dish.

MTKi Scalability

We launched the UK MTK in 2023 and have carried out an impactful Culinary Nutrition Education workshop in partnership with the Dundee & Angus College. We are now seeking your support in expanding our reach in the country to support even more Champions! Please visit https://www.mtki.org/uk to learn more.

Help Us Make A Lasting Impact On Global Nutrition!

To ensure the continuity of our global MTK initiative, we are currently fundraising, and the donations will go into adequately equipping the facilities and providing further training and materials. But we would also like to establish additional Mobile Teaching Kitchen units to reach the communities in need.

Here’s a breakdown of what each donation will support:

- Just £10 can help purchase basic supplies (teaching ingredients, e.g. vegetables, fruit, grains) and utensils to run the Teaching Kitchen workshops.

- £20 (or more) can help towards the provision of electricity, gas, clean water, vehicle maintenance, health and safety, OR continuation of training for local mothers.

- £100 (or more) can contribute towards labour costs to support the project.

We are committed to transparency and accountability. We will keep you informed about our progress and the impact of your donation.

About NNEdPro

NNEdPro Global Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health is an independent not-for-profit organisation that believes everyone has the right to good nutrition. We provide direct support to vulnerable families and communities on the ground, and our education programme trains frontline healthcare professionals and dietitians around the globe. NNEdPro advocates that equity, collaboration, and technology will be key to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. Unlike other organisations, we research and influence whole food systems, from production through to consumption and beyond into healthcare.