FITZGERALD, Ga., May 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Today, U.S. Agency for International
Development Administrator Samantha
Power forged ahead in the fight against child malnutrition
by announcing a $200 million
investment in the procurement and distribution of Ready-to-Use
Therapeutic Food (RUTF) – a lifesaving, peanut-based medical food
that treats children suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of
malnutrition. The Administrator made the announcement at Mana
Nutrition's RUTF manufacturing facility in Fitzgerald, Georgia, where three million
packets of RUTF are produced daily using American peanuts.
The Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF), a U.S.-based private
philanthropy dedicated to ending global malnutrition, was present
at Mana to celebrate Administrator Power's announcement.
Philanthropist Chris Hohn was also
in attendance and affirmed a $50
million investment to bring RUTF to children around the
world, which builds on his past investments and history of
leadership in the fight against malnutrition, including
$200 million of support to Mana's
facilities and operations.
45 million children currently suffer from wasting, and this
global crisis has escalated in recent years due to conflicts, the
effects of climate change, and worldwide economic volatility.
Humanitarian crises in Sudan,
Gaza, Haiti, and other high-burden countries have
also increased the urgency to reach children who are in emergency
situations that have caused famine or near-famine conditions.
Worldwide, child wasting claims the lives of one in five children
under the age of five. But wasting is treatable if children are
provided RUTF. This shelf-stable product is made from peanuts, milk
powder, oil, sugar, and a blend of nutrients. It costs less than
$1 a day to treat a child with RUTF –
and it is remarkably effective, with recovery rates up to 90
percent.
Today's announcement follows USAID's historic investment in RUTF
in 2022, the largest ever single investment in wasting treatment,
which included related commitments from a diverse coalition of
public and private partners. That combined investment led to
UNICEF's greatest malnutrition response on record, when the agency
reached 7.3 million children suffering from wasting with RUTF in
2023 – a 35 percent increase from the year prior. The
Administrator's announcement in Fitzgerald continues this momentum, and serves
as a reminder that donor governments, philanthropies, and
nongovernmental agencies must work together to maintain these gains
and further expand coverage, so that every child who needs RUTF has
access to it.
Prior to today's press conference, Administrator Power toured
Mana's new facility with Hohn and Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA-08). The new facility is the
culmination of two years of planning, engineering, and
construction, and has the capacity to make millions of RUTF packets
each day. Peanut farmers, community leaders, and Mana employees
were also in attendance to celebrate the announcement.
"It was an honor to host Administrator Power for a tour of
Mana's expanding Fitzgerald RUTF facility, and for our factory to
serve as the site of her announcement, which continues the
commitment to our collective fight against child malnutrition,"
said Mark Moore, Founder and CEO of
Mana. "At Mana we like to say, 'We are the village.' This U.S.
government investment in RUTF, like the one before it, can save
millions of the most vulnerable children in our global village –
and it will enable Mana to draw upon the strength of our local
village in Georgia, which proudly
supplies the workforce and key ingredients required to produce
RUTF."
ECF also commends this announcement. As part of its ongoing
commitment to optimizing wasting treatment and expanding coverage,
ECF recently launched a partnership with Action Against Hunger to
accelerate local adaptation and country-led uptake of the new World
Health Organization wasting guidelines. The new guidelines include
recommendations on treating children with reduced dosages of RUTF
and guidance on treating children who are classified as "moderately
wasted" with RUTF, among others. ECF has also made investments in
countries such as Senegal to
combat child wasting.
"Every 11 seconds, a child dies of malnutrition – a
heartbreaking reality that we can put an end to. RUTF offers
children suffering from severe malnutrition a chance not only to
survive, but to thrive. Today, USAID has taken historic steps to
invest in RUTF, which means millions of kids will get the treatment
they need," said Kim Cernak,
Managing Director of ECF. "We commend USAID for continuing to take
leadership on the issue of deadly malnutrition, and we commend
Congress for asserting U.S. commitment to a healthier and more
secure world. We know that when we join together, we make progress
that positively impacts lives around the globe. We urge all donors
to sustain this momentum with additional support for RUTF, so that
every child who needs this lifesaving treatment can get it."
About the Eleanor Crook Foundation (ECF):
The Eleanor
Crook Foundation is a growing U.S. philanthropy fighting to end
global malnutrition through research, policy analysis, and
advocacy.
About Mana
Mana Nutrition is a non-profit producer of
RUTF and other lifesaving products for UNICEF, USAID and the WFP in
the fight against malnutrition. Mana owns and operates 500,000
square feet of facilities in Fitzgerald,
GA, and at the port in Savannah,
GA.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Eleanor Crook Foundation
Nyequai Harte, Associate Director of Communications
nharte@eleanorcrookfoundation.org
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SOURCE The Eleanor Crook Foundation