Saving lives with a locally grown solution to childhood malnutrition
Every Child Fed (ECF) is dedicated to ending preventable child deaths caused by severe malnutrition and ensuring children have the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.
The Challenge
13.6 million children are affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
SAM is the most lethal form of undernutrition and one of the top threats to child survival. It is the cause of roughly 20% of all deaths of children under the age of 5. SAM results from an extreme lack of food and repeated illness, such as diarrhea, measles and malaria, which weaken children’s immune systems. It is treatable and preventable. No child should die of SAM.
The Solution
Community-Based Treatment
We work to save the lives of children suffering from SAM by providing locally produced ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) distributed through local community clinics.
Learn more about RUTF
Prevention
We work with communities to prevent future cases of SAM by providing health education, training to detect early signs of malnutrition, and supporting maternal mental health.
Our Approach
Our approach is distinctly collaborative and entrepreneurial. We work with in-country partners to help build manufacturing facilities and distribution systems for RUTF to support the development of local capabilities rather than relying on imported RUTF. When RUTF is produced in the countries where it is needed, it bolsters the local economy. So at the same time we're helping save children's lives, we are helping create a better future by investing locally in people and production.