Meds & Food for Kids treats and prevents malnutrition through locally produced peanut-based fortified foods (Ready to Use Foods).
Investee | Meds & Food for Kids (MFK), founded 2004 |
Location | Haiti |
Sector | Health |
Funding period | 2011-2015 |
Funding type | Grant |
Website | https://mfkhaiti.org/about-mfk/ |
22% of Haiti’s children under five, or ~220’000, are considered “underweight” and 8.5% are considered “wasting”. Haiti has the highest under-five mortality rate and the highest number of under-five deaths in the Western Hemisphere at 86/1’000 and 26’000/year respectively. This is equivalent to ~70 preventable deaths per day. Inpatient treatments for malnutrition in Haiti are ineffective, expensive, and unfeasible to scale.
Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) treats and prevents malnutrition in Haiti by producing fortified peanut-based foods known as Ready to Use Foods (RUFs), which outperform previously existing treatments and are 8 to 15-times cheaper than in-hospital treatment. MFK products are made in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and whenever possible, with Haitian raw materials, which contributes to agricultural development and long-term food security.
MFK combats malnutrition with an easily accessible, affordable product while providing livelihood opportunities through local production facilities.
Impact Reach | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014e |
# tons of RUFs produced p.a. | 63 | 73 | 65 | 385 | 655 | 756 |
# of children treated p. a. | 6'200 | 7'381 | 6'500 | 38'000 | 65'500 | 75'600 |