There are millions of children suffering from malnutrition in Latin America, a situation made even more critical during the pandemic, in the poorest and most isolated regions. As an authority in nutrition, Quaker wanted to help. After all, since it created the slogan "Change your life from within," in 2019, the brand has wanted it to go beyond advertising and “walk the talk”, providing real benefits to people's lives.

After years of research, the solution was to use Quaker's expertise to develop a super-nutritious cookie, made with oats and essential vitamins, for kids suffering from malnutrition. From this super cookie, the Quaker Qrece Program was born, in partnership with different NGOs in each Latin American country. To get people engaged and raise funds for the NGOs to reach more children, we created a fairy tale in which children could identify with the story of a malnourished girl.

The complete program and campaign were launched in Guatemala in partnership with CARE. While Quaker produced the cookies, CARE was responsible for distributing them to the communities, as well as providing follow up to the kids, regarding their physical and cognitive development. On the other front, the campaign had the role engaging people, raising awareness on the problem of child malnutrition in isolated areas and asking for donations – not to help Quaker, but to help CARE reach more children through a crowdfunding platform.

The program started officially in Guatemala, with the video being released on Quaker's social networks (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Today it has also been released in Mexico. As the project is a perennial program, the campaign is still live, working to call attention, engage, and raise funds for the NGOs in each market. Regarding the digital campaign, while the 3D characters were created based on real people helped by the program, the setting was entirely adapted using stop-motion techniques, during three days of shooting. The region's ethnic and cultural references were respected, including 30 different plant species in miniature. Over 50 artists and professionals from three different Latin American countries worked on the project.

To date, more than 14,600,000 cookies have been produced to help change the lives of children in Mexico and Guatemala. The project had a huge impact, involving the media, the government, and society at large. With US$ 171 million in earned media, child malnutrition became a hot topic. As a result, 10,000 children are being saved from malnutrition, in the first months of the program alone. The program is so successful there are already plans to take it to other Latin American countries in the coming years. On a secondary note, Quaker also saw a significant 19% year-to-year increase in sales in Guatemala, thanks to consumers' improved perception of the brand.