Healthy Nutrition Festival in Kyiv region: Communities share their experience of fostering healthy nutrition habits

On 17 July, Boryspil district in Kyiv region hosted a Healthy Nutrition Festival, which brought together children, parents, educators, representatives of communities, government authorities, and international partners around a shared goal – fostering a culture of healthy nutrition.

First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna, Minister for Recovery, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine Mykola Kalashnyk, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Anastasiia Sofiienko, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine Katarína Mathernová attended the event.

Other participants in the event included Valentyna Poltorak, Deputy Head of NGO DOCCU and DECIDE Project Manager; Zhanna Osypenko, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration; and Orest Stepaniak, Head of the School Nutrition Reform Team.

The Swiss-Ukrainian DECIDE Project team actively supports the school nutrition reform initiated by the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska.

As previously reported, 3 DECIDE career guidance hubs have been established within the framework of the school nutrition reform, including the Vasylkiv DECIDE Culinary Hub in Kyiv region, which was presented during the festival. School chefs regularly attend professional development courses at these hubs. Moreover, institutional and expert support for the implementation of the reform strategy is provided within the framework of the Project.

The festival was held across four venues in Boryspil district: the Revnenskyi Lyceum in Hirska community, the Boryspilskyi Lyceum “Leader”, the Boryspil Vocational College, and the Shchaslyvskyi Academic Lyceum, which demonstrated different approaches to implementing school nutrition reform. The participants had the opportunity to talk to children and parents, take part in career guidance activities, and visit educational institutions that are modernising their kitchen units and providing professional training for chefs.

For DECIDE, it is not simply a matter of supporting the modernisation of the education sector, but also an investment in children’s health, the development of communities, and the future of Ukraine. After all, our children will very soon be the ones who will develop and rebuild Ukraine.

And we strongly believe that communities are the driving force behind these changes. After all, kitchen units are modernised, staff capacity is developed, high-quality school nutrition is organised, and a culture of healthy living is fostered at the local level.

From 1 September 2026, the school nutrition reform will enter a new phase. The programme of free hot meals will cover all schoolchildren in Grades 1–11(12) across Ukraine – nearly 3 million children.

The DECIDE project is implemented by NGO DOCCU and PHZH International Projects in Education with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.

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