Physical Health Bulgaria Project #34125

Help Us Provide Nutritious Food to Vulnerable Kids

by Trust for Social Achievement Foundation

Summary

TSA is committed to providing nutritional support to 150 teenage moms and their babies by subsidizing the cost of baby food to promote healthy growth. Roma moms often struggle to provide enough food for their infants, let alone food that is age-appropriate. As a result, over 60% of Roma kids become anemic, developing stunted mental and physical capacities. We are partnering with local firms to provide nutritious food and supplements, to young pregnant women and children aged 0-2.

$20,000
total goal

$16,760
remaining

34
donors

0
monthly donors

6
years

Challenge

Teen pregnancy rates in Bulgaria are extremely high, and many of the girls who become pregnant live in poor, segregated Roma communities, lacking access to basic resources or information. Childhood stunting due to malnutrition and starvation deserves urgent attention as it impacts the physical growth and cognitive development of the child affected.Due to severe poverty, the majority of mothers and children suffer from anemia, which causes stunted physical and cognitive development.. This yields

Solution

TSA is working with a baby food kitchen in the Fakulteta area to provide 100 Roma girls with pregnancy supplements or warm, nutritious meals for their children on a daily basis. In order to feed their malnourished infants, TSA will enroll the mothers in the program and subsidize the cost of their food on an individual basis. In doing so, TSA is able to guarantee that vulnerable teenage moms are providing nutritious foods to their children, which then allows their infants to undergo normal growth

Long-Term Impact

Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential to ensure the growth, health, and development of children to their full potential. By giving teen moms the resources to adequately feed their kids, we will improve Bulgaria's future and provide these kids with the chance to lead normal, happy, healthy lives. We will measure the impact of improved nutrition on growth and iron levels, and if improved, municipalities will subsidize the program for at-risk populations.