FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Oldways and WANDA team up to promote plant-based heritage foods for children’s health at Teaching Africa Day 

WASHINGTON, DC, August 17, 2018 – To celebrate African Heritage Month in Washington, DC and Maryland this September, Oldways will join with WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture) at Teaching Africa Day on Saturday, September 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring, MD. The two organizations will share how plant-based heritage foods are good for children’s health and to help prevent diabetes. The event is free and open to the public.

“WANDA is excited to partner with Oldways in celebration of African Heritage Month recognized in the month of September in Maryland and the District of Columbia,” said Tambra Raye Stevenson, Founder of WANDA. “Through the Where’s WANDA? series, we believe children’s wellbeing involves a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose; food is a powerful tool to make connections, promote health, and build community and children’s wellbeing.”

At Teaching Africa Day, Tambra will present a condensed version of Oldways’ A Children’s Taste of African Heritage curriculum. Adapted from the original A Taste of African Heritage series for adults, the children’s program is a six-lesson, hands-on cooking class for kids to enjoy the foods and flavors of the African Heritage Diet Pyramid. The pyramid is a model for healthy eating based on traditional eating patterns of Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the American South. Students are also immersed in the history, culture, and nutrition of African Diaspora foods and learn how to adapt them to modern life.

Attendees will also have the chance to support Tambra’s project to create a talking doll of the character she created named Little WANDA, modeled on her daughter. In Tambra’s Where’s WANDA? book series, Little WANDA travels Africa to learn about healthy foods and agriculture to find a cure for her Nana’s diabetes and inspires children to be healthy eaters, readers, and leaders. The doll will teach children “the ABCs” of African Heritage foods, geography, and languages. A crowdfunding campaign begins on August 28, and the doll will be available for pre-order at whereiswanda.com.

About Oldways 
Oldways is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health via traditional eating choices. They offer educational programs and recipes based on cultural heritage, the goodness of whole grains, and the practices of traditional cheese-making and are best known for creating the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the Whole Grain Stamp. Find out more at https://oldwayspt.org.

About WANDA
The WANDA movement seeks to ensure a million women and girls have access to education, advocacy, and innovative skills to improve healthy lifestyles in their families, communities, and societies through improved agriculture and good nutrition by 2030. It aims to create a generation of female food leaders in Africa and Diaspora to counter the rise of non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Find out more at http://www.iamwanda.org.

For press inquiries and more information, contact: media@oldwayspt.org

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