Spirulina for malnourished Children in Ethiopia

Quarterly Progress Report, our organization Tiruzer Ethiopia for Africa (TEA), by producing Spirulina Supplementary food, we were able to help 250 malnourished children in Addis Ababa and Gambella by distributing the spirulina supplementary products. 

For this purpose, we have received cash and professional support from fifty individuals who have seen our work in the places where we work.  In addition to feeding malnourished children, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Gambella University so that our production center can serve as a teaching center for Gambella University students and a research center for researchers. 

This will help the university nutrition students to gain better knowledge.  One of the challenges we face is that we cannot find volunteers to coordinate our online fundraising using the GlobalGiving System.  Dear volunteers, donors, ITC experts, all those who work in various private and government institutions, etc., you can coordinate and collect online fundraising work in a way that is convenient for you, and if you are convenient, you can come and work together in person in Ethiopia. 

For this, we respectfully ask you to help us from wherever you are by using various social media platforms.

Fouth Quarter Progress Report,

our organization Tiruzer Ethiopia for Africa (TEA), by producing Spirulina Supplementary food, we were able to help 250 malnourished children in Addis Ababa and Gambella by distributing the spirulina supplementary products.  For this purpose, we have received cash and professional support from fifty individuals who have seen our work in the places where we work.  In addition to feeding malnourished children, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with Gambella University so that our production center can serve as a teaching center for Gambella University students and a research center for researchers. 

This will help the university nutrition students to gain better knowledge.  One of the challenges we face is that we cannot find volunteers to coordinate our online fundraising using the GlobalGiving System.  Dear volunteers, donors, ITC experts, all those who work in various private and government institutions, etc., you can coordinate and collect online fundraising work in a way that is convenient for you, and if you are convenient, you can come and work together in person in Ethiopia.

We respectfully ask you to help us from wherever you are by using various social media platforms.

Dear our Supporters;

With your support, we are not only able to feed Spirulina (Super-Food) for malnourished children and pregnant mothers, but we have been able to introduce new food to the government and our people by making use of our biodiversity, which has not been used for centuries.

 The aim of this project to improve the daily nutritional intake - particularly of children - in communities in need through the growth and distribution of Spirulina, a nutrient-rich and sustainable superfood that is the richest whole-food source nature has to offer. Due to its unique nutritional composition just a small quantity of Spirulina is enough to turn around an individual's nutritional status. Spiriluna is consumed in powder form, tablets or capsules for easy usage as food supplement and immune booster due to its high protein and nutrients content. The powder is added to warm food or drinks in small quantities; two table spoon per day. Twenty-seven percent of women in Ethiopia are thin or malnourished and 38 percent of children suffer from stunting. To reduce this problem, our Spirulina Production and feeding project has been directed by the government as a good example because;

• Can be produced locally and so has social as well as economic benefits
• Cheap to produce
• Uses simple technology and locally available materials
• Requires much less water to grow than vegetables
• Stimulates the education of local women about nutrition
• Can be combined with other products (eg rice, etc.) to be made into locally acceptable food products all around the world
• Very effective, contains most essential micronutrients in high concentrations so 1 gram per day can combat malnutrition within a month.
• Very easy to digest and
• Very safe, it is resistant to most contamination due to highly alkaline environment

Hiwet Adane is a ten-year-old girl who lives with her mother in Addis Ababa. She does not know her father. Her mother, Aster Mamo, does not have enough income for food except for house rent, and her life is severely affected by lack of food. She looks like a five-year-old child because of her lack of food. As we confirmed when we went to the school where she was studying, her academic performance is very poor. She has been eating Spirulina (Supper Food) for six consecutive months and is currently in good health. Her education performance is also improving. Howet says that she dreams of becoming a doctor after finishing her studies to help other children.

Dear our supporters, Ethiopia is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises it has seen in decades.  The number of out-of-school children in Ethiopia as a result of these emergencies has spiked from 3.1 million to 3.6 million in just the last six months, according to UNICEF.

We still need your support to help students who suffer from life-threatening malnutrition and poor academic performance.

Links:

• Discussions with the ministry of Health Minister & Advisors

Tiruzer Ethiopia for Africa (TEA)

GlobalGiving Program

Fifth Quarter Report

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank each and every one of the donors who have contributed to this project since when we started in June 2019. We understand that amidst the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic it is very challenging to obtain finances but still some of you have had to sacrifice other commitments in order to donate some dollars to this project, we highly appreciate and respect you greatly. We recognize those of you who have committed to monthly donations and we say THANK YOU VERY MUCH and urge you to continue contributing to this noble cause.  

In this reporting period, we managed to continue with production and distribution of Spirulina powder despite lack of funds, thanks to the committed and determined team in our organization. We are pleased to inform you that the GlobalGiving Team disbursed the recent donations in October 2020 but unfortunately we have not received the funds and we are following up with our bank and will notify the GlobalGiving Team once we get the funds.

In our project, we are cultivating micro-algae spirulina as food supplement to fight malnutrition in Ethiopia and lately it has extended to treating COVID-19 patients. As you were informed in the last quarter that we are distributing Spirulina powder to 60 elderly people institutionalized at Macedonia Home for the Elderly in Addis Ababa City, in this reporting period the free distribution continued and all of the consumers have improved in their conditions. The products have been extended to COVID-19 patients in Eka-Kotebe General Hospital, one of the COVID-19 isolation and treatment centers in Addis Ababa City. Every week we distribute Spirulina powders to an average of 80 patients at the hospital who are being closely monitored by the Ethiopian Public Health Institute. This is to boost their immunity and aid in their recovery. The Ethiopian Public Health revised the protocol of acute malnutrition management and the new protocol highly recommends the use of Spirulina and our products have been recognized by the Ministry of Health as suitable for use during COVID-19. The weather conditions are now favorable for optimum growth of Spirulina and we are doing our best to continue with the production and pray that you will join us in raising for more funds to continue with the project to reach more populations in Ethiopia.

In the next quarter, we will continue doing the production and distribution to the needy people in Ethiopia as we continue raising funds towards our goal of buying a spirulina drying machine costing USD10,000. We hope to attain our goal in the near future.