December 12 marks World Health Day — a global call to action for “Health for All”, commemorating the UN’s 2012 unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage (UHC). Today is about equality, access and the fundamental belief that every person, regardless of their income or zip code, deserves the opportunity to live a healthy, prosperous life.
At the Nutrition Network, there is no better organization to celebrate this day than Eat Better South Africa (EBSA) — the community outreach arm of The Noakes Foundation and one of the most effective evidence-based public health interventions on the African continent.
EBSA: Changing health outcomes where it matters most
Across underserved communities in South Africa, EBSA has pioneered a grassroots, culturally relevant and highly cost-effective model for reversing metabolic disease—using local food, community empowerment and evidence-based nutrition education.
Through their 6-12 week community programs, EBSA facilitators equip participants with:
- Practical nutrition knowledge rooted in metabolic science
- Low cost, culturally appropriate meal plans using real food
- Group support and behavior change strategies
- Tools for sustainable lifestyle improvement that promote long-term health
This model has been documented in multiple publications — including a peer-reviewed study showing significant improvements in blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides, and anthropometric outcomes among participants.
EBSA’s impact extends far beyond statistics. It has dignity, autonomy and hope were restoredwhile demonstrating that chronic disease need not be a life sentence — even in resource-constrained settings.
This is universal health coverage in action:
Practical. Comprehensive. Anthropocentric. powered by the community. Accessible.
Because universal health coverage requires community-led nutrition interventions
UHC is not just about hospitals, clinics and medicines. It’s about making sure people have access to knowledge, support and environments which allow them to prevent diseases long before they require medical attention.
The growing burden of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in low-resource communities continues to outpace health care capacity. EBSA’s model provides one of the most scalable solutions we have:
- Local leadership
- Low cost implementation
- Evidence-based nutrition science
- Empowerment, not dependence
- Measurable improvement in metabolic health
This is how we achieve universal health coverage: meeting people where they are and equipping communities to take care of their health.
Engaging the Food Web: Training the Next Generation of Community Mediators
Inspired by the work of EBSA, the Nutrition Network developed it Eat Better Facilitated Group Trainingan online course focused on professionals that teaches:
- The EBSA intervention model
- How community nutrition groups work
- Behavior change strategies
- Culturally aligned and cost sensitive meal planning
- Leadership and facilitation skills
- Outcomes monitoring and ethical practices
This training exists to scale the EBSA model globally — enabling practitioners, trainers, NGOs and health workers to bring real, hands-on metabolic health intervention to the communities that need it most.
To celebrate EBSA’s outstanding contribution to UHC, we are offering:
🎉 50% OFF EBSA Education — TODAY ONLY!
Use code EBSA50 at checkout
👉
If you ever wanted to:
- Make a direct impact on community health
- Bring evidence-based metabolic interventions to underserved populations
- Lead sustainable, empowering nutrition programs
- Apply the EBSA model to your own environment
…this is the moment. Let’s celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day by investing in affordable, scalable, real solutions that change lives — one community at a time.
