Target and UNICEF partner to offer fitness band for kids

In an effort to combat both childhood obesity and childhood malnourishment, UNICEF and Target have partnered to offer a kid-friendly fitness band designed specifically for children. The bracelets will be sold in the United States, and they will have a bonus effect on top of the general fitness purposes — wearers will be able to earn points, which are then used to send food packets through UNICEF to children in developing nations.

The fitness band is part of the UNICEF Kid Power program, and it works in conjunction with a mobile app. The points for sending food are unlocked by completing missions; kids can also unlock "souvenirs" through various efforts. You can see some examples of the mobile app below. Users are able to follow each others, there's a passport for tracking progress, and missions that, in part, teach kids about others.

This is a wider launch of a previous test — a pilot program had been conducted with students in New York, Boston, and Dallas, of which they walked collectively 500,000+ miles in March. That resulted in 188,850 food packets being sent out to more than 1,200 malnourished kids around the globe.

By partnering up with Target, the UNICEF program will expand beyond just the students. The fitness band itself is affordable at $49.99 USD. It is available to pre-order now, and will start shipping and hit store shelves on November 29. Disney has also partnered with UNICEF, and will be offering Star Wars themed fitness bands.

SOURCE: Mashable