Spirulina for malnourished Children in Ethiopia

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