SDG #2 : Zero hunger
The UN wants to eradicate hunger by 2030. The emphasis is on children, vulnerable individuals and those in poverty. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals also advocate a more sustainable food production. As SDG Champion and social enterprise we are very much aware of our social impact. The SDGs are at the basis of our policy and the SDG on hunger relief is no exception!
The link between poverty and health
WAAK employs quite a few people with a working disability who fall in the ‘people in poverty’ category. Providing them with employment and a decent income is at the heart of our policy because it allows them to meet the basic necessities of life. Another cornerstone of our policy is ‘health’. Figures from Belgian health insurance fund Christelijke Mutualiteit (CM) show that people in poverty are 51% more likely to develop diabetes, 26% more likely to fall into depression and there also appears to be a direct link with obesity. In other words: poverty has a negative impact on people’s health. This is because people in precarious financial situations are quicker to postpone care, but there is also a link with other issues such as quicker recourse to cheap, unhealthy food (ready-made dishes or fast food) and poor health education (not knowing how to eat/cook healthy food).
Breaking the downward sprial
We try to break the cycle of poverty through the personal coaching of our personnel with a working disability. This is a daily concern for their superiors and talent coaches. They advise and assist them when they are faced with problems and teach them how to live differently. We also contribute on a collective level by offering fresh fruit and hot soup and/or nutritious meals. 
Healthy and circular
As a social enterprise we take the bigger social picture into account. Our hunger policy not only aims to improve the health of our own people, we also want to do this in the most circular and sustainable way possible by minimising waste. For instance, for the soup we offer on a daily basis we rely on the food aid network Food Act 13. Every year, this organisation collects 300 tonnes worth of surplus food from supermarkets, auctions, merchants and farmers and subsequently redistributes it among local anti-poverty organisations in Kortrijk. Every week we receive over 50 kg of vegetables. Back in the day these vegetables were thrown in the bin but now our staff turn them into healthy soup. And that’s a good thing for everyone, isn’t it?
