Congratulations to our June 2008 grantees:
Umkhuseli Fund Management/KwaZulu Natal Department of Health
Meds and Food for Kids
African Regional Youth Initiative
The next Board meeting to select new grantees is November 3-6, 2008
Umkhuseli Fund Management/KwaZulu Natal Department of Health
Meds and Food for Kids
African Regional Youth Initiative
The next Board meeting to select new grantees is November 3-6, 2008
MALNUTRITION IS A LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR CHILDREN UNDER AGE FIVE. Children who are chronically undernourished, or who are severely malnourished for a prolonged period, frequently suffer permanent cognitive impairment and stunted physical growth. Malnourishment, even in its less severe forms, increases children’s risk of contracting such illnesses as diarrhea, measles, malaria, and pneumonia. Malnourished children are much more likely than well-nourished children to become seriously ill or die as a result of a disease or infection.
The Izumi Foundation supports innovative efforts to treat malnutrition at the community level. Very often, the most effective improvements rely on straightforward interventions, the creative use of available resources, and a keen eye for the realities of family and community life.
| Malnutrition is a factor in 60 percent of deaths of young children worldwide. PRIMARY CAUSES OF DEATH AMONG CHILDREN UNDER AGE 5 WHO 2004 |
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Meds & Food for Kids treats malnourished children in Haiti by providing a “ready-to-use therapeutic food” made from peanut butter, powdered milk, vitamins, and minerals. Unlike the conventional treatment for malnutrition —an expensive hospitalization— this treatment can be managed at home by the child’s mother. The mixture is inexpensive and easy to make from common ingredients; it requires no cooking or refrigeration. Children who are fed the therapeutic food typically reach 100 percent weight for height in six to eight weeks.
The Micronutrient Initiative provides zinc supplements to Maya-Quekchi children in the Alta Verapaz province of Guatemala, where children suffer high rates of pneumonia and diarrheal diseases. Micronutrient malnutrition occurs when a child’s diet does not contain enough essential nutrients, such as zinc and vitamin A. Deficiencies in these essential nutrients appear to place children at higher risk for infection, and for longer and more severe illness.
