Just Water Acknowledges Fantastic Results For Auckland School With Substantial Donation

Just Water has been a major contributor to Yendarra School for the last year and they recently donated and installed a water cooler in the School Hall for students. They could have donated the cooler, and previous funding, to any school, but Yendarra has done something which should be a model for all schools.

 

Yendarra is a Decile 1 primary school in Otara, and in 2006 the Principal, Susan Dunlop, decided the school should go “water only”. She also introduced a “Healthy Choices Programme”, and with the support of the parents and community, developed nutritional advice for families for them to be able to make great tasting healthy lunches at no greater cost than unhealthy lunches.

 

Tony Falkenstein, Chief Executive of Just Water International Ltd was so impressed with the results of the nutritional food programme and the “water only” concept that he donated a substantial sum to the school, and recently installed a water cooler at the school.

 

“The students at Yendarra are fit and healthy, and it is difficult to find an overweight child amongst them. This is in direct contrast to other South Auckland schools, where it is difficult to find a child who is not obese,” said Tony.

 

He is not the only one impressed – the teachers are seeing responsive students, not hyped up by sugar loaded drinks and junk food, and the exam and sports results are impressive.

As Susan Dunlop explains about their decision ten years’ ago, “It just happened. Overnight, water was the preferred drink. To start it off we gave all children a free water bottle. We also received funding to put in new drinking fountains. There were no problems.”

 

Yendarra School have also discovered something very special about how changing what they eat and drink can have a dramatic, positive impact on their lives. The end result is that nearly all their school children eat a very healthy lunch. As they say, “We have not done this for any accolades or outside reasons. We just see the benefits for the children. It just fits with our vision ‘ To be the Best in Everything’. ”Since then a powerful ripple effect has seen teachers, families and the wider community also making positive changes to their food and lifestyle habits – and also losing weight.

 

Just Water and Tony Falkenstein are proud to be associated with Yendarra School’s wellbeing model which is fully embedded into school programmes, a model which was highly praised in a recent ERO report, and will continue to support them in their endeavours.

 

To order bottled water or for more information on Just Water, please visit the website at http://www.justwater.co.nz .