Facing rising cases of COVID-19 in Haiti, and a declining number of clinics and hospitals capable of caring for malnourished children, the production and distribution of Meds & Food for Kids’ (MFK) Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) is essential. As the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Haiti increase, the number of malnutrition cases will continue to increase as well.
The Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) received a donation of 4,500 boxes (62,000 kilograms) of Mamba Djanm/Plumpy’Sup and 500 boxes (6,890 kilograms) of Medika Mamba/Plumpy’Nut from MFK that will help save the lives of an estimated 5,000 severely and moderately malnourished children in Haiti. The MSPP Director of Nutrition and Food has developed an implementation plan for the country’s 10 health departments.
The product, valued at more than $280,000, will treat vulnerable children whose families are struggling to feed them due to rising costs of basic necessities and the inability to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We persist in our mission. The children of Haiti need our help now more than ever. Our top priority is to work with the Ministry of Public Health and Population to find and treat Haitian children in desperate need of our help,” noted MFK Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Patricia Wolff. “We are deeply grateful to our donors for making this treatment for 5,000 malnourished Haitian children possible.”
Medika Mamba – which means “peanut butter medicine” in Haitian Creole – is considered the gold standard for treating malnutrition by the World Health Organization. MFK produces this and other humanitarian products in its Cap-Haïtien, Haiti manufacturing center using Haitian employees and some local raw materials.
