By: Raymond Delnatus, School Snack Supervisor

As you might imagine, in a country with very little electricity and few portable foods, many children arrive at school with an empty stomach after walking a mile or more in the morning. This, of course, isn't optimal for learning. It's especially disheartening because often their impoverished parents have scrimped and sacrificed to pay school fees and uniforms even in “free” public schools. The MFK team is working to make sure children have food at school. 

In the 2012-2013 school year, MFK was fortunate to be awarded a US Department of Agriculture grant to develop and test the acceptability and efficacy of a school snack for poor children attending school in Cap Haitien, Haiti.

By this point in the year, the project is in full swing with 10 Haitian employees and 6 schools enrolled.  There are 1200 Haitian children between the ages of 4 and 12 years who will receive a snack every school day. As you can see from some of these photos, the kids are all very excited!

Photo Credit: Patti Gabriel Photography

It's truly astonishing the transformation that occurs between the time the children arrive at school, many of them unengaged and lethargic, and when they receive the snack. After our Mamba, they are racing around and playing - many of them smiling from ear to ear. 

Photo Credit: Patti Gabriel Photography

With this pilot project, MFK expects to see a decrease in anemia and sick days and an increase in school attendance and school performance. We hope that with good nutrition, these bright minds will shine even brighter. 

Photo Credit: Patti Gabriel Photography

The school principals and teachers are equally delighted to have the opportunity to feed their students a snack to keep them alert all morning until school lets out at 1pm. 

Photo Credit: Patti Gabriel Photography

MFK looks forward to a positive result and to producing more of this new product in Haiti in the future!

It’s not everyday you hear the words, “Mr. President, come here! There’s something I’d like to show you!” At Sunday’s investor event hosted by North Coast Development Corporation, that’s exactly what former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman said. The president he was referring to, was former President Bill Clinton; what he wanted to show him was MFK’s life-saving foods.

“Mr. President, look at this,” he said excitedly, pointing to a sachet of MFK’s school snack. “This was funded through USDA’s McGovern-Dole project.” The secretary then turned to Jamie Rhoads, MFK’s Agriculture Specialist and me and said, “We fought hard to keep this program alive. It’s exciting to see the results of it on the ground.”

Then the president, the secretary, Jamie and I engaged in a lively discussion about the virtues of school feeding, malnutrition treatment using Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF), agricultural promotion, and national production of life-saving foods. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the president demonstrated that in addition to his myriad other responsibilities he keeps up with the literature on childhood malnutrition.

“We now know that malnutrition is influenced by the microbes found in the child’s gut,” President Clinton said, referring to the most recent publications on childhood malnutrition. “The gut flora affect whether some children respond well to different treatments.”

The event brought the president and more than twenty investors to Haiti’s northern department to witness the positive changes occurring in Haiti and to look for potential investment opportunities. In attendance were representatives of Coke, Pepsi, Heineken, among others.

As if a private audience with the president wasn’t enough, celebrity chef José Andrés also added to the day. He walked up to MFK’s booth, opened a sachet of MFK’s school snack, and took a big bite. He looked up as if deep in thought, letting the taste permeate his mouth. After a few seconds he exclaimed enthusiastically, “This is the best peanut butter I’ve had in my life! It’s delicious!”

When the former President of the United States congratulates your work and a celebrity chef thinks your products taste amazing, you know you must be onto something!

“Thank you for your good work in Haiti,” the president said as he departed MFK’s booth.

A good day it was!

Tom Stehl, President Bill Clinton, Jose Andres, Dan Glickman, Jamie Rhoads. 

Meds & Food for Kids’ second annual “Experience Kanaval” Gala & Auction, held on February 9, 2013 at the St. Louis Science Center was an amazing success!  Nearly 500 friends and supporters soaked up the sounds of an authentic Haitian RaRa band and swayed to the rhythms of a Haitian dance troupe all evening long.  The “marketplace” that housed our silent auction of Haitian art was a unique shopping experience where guests shopped for colorful treasures beneath palm fronds and Haitian decor.  Everyone was served up a delicious Haitian inspired dinner in the festively decorated Science Center’s Exploradome, which mirrored the “Spirit of RaRa” theme. 

Most importantly, everyone was inspired by MFK’s mission to save lives and ignite economic development in Haiti. To all of our sponsors, donors, guests and friends, we owe you all a HUGE thank you!  Thanks to your generous support, we raised over $400,000! By standing with us, you are helping ensure that every deserving “peanut” gets their chance to grow! 

To see more of the event, view Patti Gabriel Photography's photos from the night posted on MFK's facebook: 2013 Experience Kanaval Gala & Auction on Facebook

Our "Marketplace" held lots of treasures from Haiti.

All the proceeds from the art sold that night went directly to MFK's programs in Haiti!

Haitian dancers and drummers entertained guests as they arrived. 

Drs. Pat and Peter Raven. Dr. Raven served as honorary chair of this year's event. 

Dr. Pat Wolff and Thad Simons, President and CEO of Novus International. This year Mr. Simons was also an honorary chair for the event. 

The Haitian RaRa band really brought home the festive flavors of Mardi Gras!

A special thank you to Steve Tillery and Korein Tillery for their generous support of this year's event. 

An amazing group of friends from CPChemical came in from out of town for the event! Thank you CPChemical!

You, our friends and supports made this night possible.

Thank you for generously believing in the coming transformation of Haiti!

This morning the US Ambassador to Haiti, Pamela White, came to visit our new Factory in Cap Haitien.  Ambassador White was officially sworn in as Ambassador to Haiti last summer and she previously served in Haiti from 1985-1990.  Our team was honored to have her visit during her time in the North!

During her visit we were able to show her the Medika Mamba production line, introduce her to our staff, including our new Haiti Country Director, Jayadeep Akkireddy, and share with her our life-saving mission.

Today, we also had the Dominican Republic Press Corps arrive to see and document the Factory. It was certainly an exciting day and we look forward to many future visits!

Jayadeep Akkireddy, Haiti Country Director - Dr. Patricia Wolff, Founder & ED - Pamela White, US Ambassador

James Rhoads, Jayadeep Akkireddy, Dr. Patrica Wolff, Pamela White, and Thomas Stehl -

outside Meds & Food for Kids new Production Facility in Cap Haitien, Haiti

It has been a very big year at Meds & Food for Kids.

We've reached some pretty amazing milestones in only 12 months! 

This year, Meds & Food for Kids’ Medika Mamba saved the lives of over 30,000 children, the most yet! Children like 3-year-old Wilnor who arrived at the Malnutrition clinic in October weighing just 16lbs. After only a few weeks of Medika Mamba, this little “peanut” was back to a healthy weight of 24lbs!

Wilnor is a success story from our partner in the field: Real Hope for Haiti

Our Agriculture Training program piloted an intensive intervention with 30 farmers and saw incredible results! More than 100 farmers approached MFK agronomists asking to participate in MFK’s upcoming 2013 training, probably because we helped farmers decrease costs by almost 60% while increasing yields by 100%.

Jonas, a Haitian Farmer, and Jamie Rhoads, our Agriculutre Development Specialist

In October 2012, we cut the ribbon on our New Factory! This new production facility has increased our capacity to produce lifesaving food by 10-times! We currently serve 51 clinics and orphanages, in addition to partnering with UNICEF and very soon the World Food Program.

Some our talented Haitian staff!

In 2012 MFL produced 304,055.5kg of Medika Mamba and 11,743.8 kg of our peanutbutter suppliment Mamba Djamn, a nearly 500% increase from 2011. In addition, we now employ 44 local staff members and we look forward to expanding to provide more technical capacity in the years to come.

Recently, MFK kicked off a USDA-funded research project targeting school-aged children. MFK, leading a coalition of international partners, developed and began testing a new nutritionally-complete school snack designed to improve educational outcomes and bolster mental and physical development in school-aged children. Through this program we hope to reach as many as 1200 school children who often only get one meal a day.

We have finally cut the ribbon on Meds & Food for Kids New Factory! The MFK staff, farmers, and families are all delighted to have achieved this tremendous milestone.

Early in the day, we were all busy with preparation: sweeping and scrubbing, planting a new round of peanut crops, and hanging festive decorations. Despite gloomy skies our whole team remained hopeful that the day would turn out as bright and sunny as the occasion. Luckily for us all, it did!

By 9 o’clock guests had begun arriving. Each was given a tour of our new state-of-the-art factory, starting with our peanut depot. The shelves in this room are stacked high with big bags of recently purchased Haitian peanuts. Each bag of “pistache” (peanuts in Creole) weighs a hefty 48 pounds. 

(Our peanut depot; *photo credit: Alex Proimos) 

These local peanuts are then hulled and sorted by our Haitian staff, and at each step only the best peanuts are selected for processing.  Our guests were able to witness this process up close and personal before moving on to our roasting room.

Thanks to a generous gift by USAID, MFK now has a higher capacity and more efficient new peanut roaster. The roasting process has been reduced to less than fifteen minutes, from start to finish. 

(Our new large capacity Roaster!  *photo credit: Alex Proimos)

Guests were then taken into the Raw Materials Warehouse, which is where we store all of the ingredients needed to make our Medika Mamba and other malnutrition prevention products. The warehouse is certainly a surprise coming out of the roasting room, what with its lofty ceilings, pair of forklifts, and three stories worth of ingredients. Plus, there is the faint whiff of cocoa in the air.

In our old factory we were only able to store small volumes of ingredients and unload and load them sack by sack. With our new sizable warehouse the ordering, purchasing, transport and storage processes are all streamlined and thus, we are much more cost effective and efficient; evidenced by all the Medika Mamba that's finished!

(Finished product!  *photo credit: Alex Proimos)

Finally, guests were able to see our “clean” production floor, requiring an outfitting of booties, a lab coat, and hair net. On the production floor our team mixes, grinds, makes, and packages our Medika Mamba. Products are then tested in our lab to ensure that during each step along the way they are safe and healthy for the “littlest peanuts” that we treat.

(Our state-of-the-art Production Floor and Machinery;  *photo: Alex Proimos)

Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy prevented a number of our distinguished guests from making it to the festivities. Whether stuck at home or in the Caribbean, they were all deeply missed. Those folks who were able to make it were treated to ceremonial speeches from Dr. Wolff and several Haitian dignitaries, followed by lunch and the official inauguration of the building.

(Thanking our guests for making it to the event!  *photo credit: Alex Proimos)

To you, who helped make this day and progress possible, we are so very grateful. This factory isn’t just a state-of-the-art building in Haiti (a feat unto itself and the only one of it’s kind) it is truly a milestone in the path to a brighter future for Haiti’s children. Thank you! Thank you!

Last week, Meds & Food for Kids was featured on National Public Radio’s program, Food for Thought. The journalist, Dan Charles came to Haiti to witness first hand MFK’s work in the field.

The first of his stories discusses MFK’s Nutributter Program. This study, implemented in collaboration with the Haitian Ministry of Health & Washington University, is designed to prevent childhood malnutrition in Haiti. The project gives vulnerable babies, aged 6 -12 months, who are at risk for malnutrition a small dose of peanut butter medicine. By supplementing their regular diet with a little extra nutritional support, we expect that they will grow into healthier and heavier toddlers.

Meds & Food for Kids was able to conduct this pilot project through the generous support of the World Bank, World Food Program, and Alive & Thrive (through the Gates Foundation).

To Hear More, Click the Link: The Peanutbutter Cure Moves from Hospital to Snack Room

The second story highlights MFK’s commitment to sourcing local Haitian peanuts for our Medika Mamba, whenever possible. Mr. Charles was able to visit our local peanut farmers and co-ops to see just what MFK has been working on: helping farmers grow more and better peanuts.

 “When we get to the farm, we walk right into the middle of a peanut-harvesting party. I see big piles of peanut plants, just pulled from the earth. Men and women are sitting beside them, picking peanuts off the roots and dropping them into buckets. The women are singing; young men are playing wooden flutes.

 These farmers are growing peanuts for MFK's new peanut butter factory, and MFK is helping them do it more cheaply. The organization brought in a small tractor to help clear the fields and also sprayed the plants with a chemical that controls fungal diseases.

As a result, the farmers tell me, they're getting almost twice as many peanuts as in previous years.”

Because MFK is committed to building, and in this case growing, a sustainable future for Haiti, we will continue to purchase local peanuts even at a higher cost. We do this to address the root cause of malnutrition: poverty and a lack of opportunity.

You can hear or read more about Dan Charles visit to the Peanut Fields, by Clicking this Link: The Cost of Saving Lives with Local Peanuts in Haiti

We’re thrilled to announce that

 our new factory is nearly complete

and YOU are invited to the official

Ribbon Cutting in Cap Haitien, Haiti

on October 26, 2012!

With the monumental success of moving our machinery into the new facility, we will be able to expand our reach and save even more lives every year. In mid July, we started to make the move from the old factory (the converted house) into our new factory that has more capacity. It took almost a year, that's record time in Haiti – from October 2011 through today – to build and begin to put the finishing touches on the new 18,000 sq ft factory.  We employed up to 60 people during this construction process.  Now, we employ 22 people to run the factory and  3 more in our agricultural programs with hundreds of farmers.  We look forward to growing this number as we grow.

Although we're close to completing our Capital Campaign with 2.8 million of 3.2 million raised for our Factory, we just couldn't wait to expand production. Too many children are dying needlessly and we had to act. So, with the help of a bridge loan we have been able to move forward on this important mission. 

We are very excited about our agricultural work, because that is how we ensure high quality, locally grown peanuts are used in our Medika Mamba. This year alone, we have sourced peanuts from 300 local farmers and look to expand to 400 or 500 next year. 

All of this enables us to make more Medika Mamba so that more children can overcome malnutrition.  Currently, we produce between 10,000 and 15,000 kg a week of Medika Mamba.  Several partners, including UNICEF, local malnutrition clinics,  Partners in Health, and we anticipate that soon the World Food Program will purchase our products for their feeding programs.  As we increase our partners, we can increase the quantity produced: treating more children, employing more workers and farmers.

We are currently working on expanding our nutritional products line, which enables us to prevent more malnutrition.  We’re testing the acceptability and efficacy of Nutributter, to prevent malnutrition in the 6-24 month old infants of an urban poor population. It looks as if this will be very successful. When we find an international NGO customer for this product, we can invest in the machinery to make it in our factory in Cap Haitien. Finally, as school children in the US go back to school, we might remember that only half of the children in Haiti can actually afford to go to school and most of them walk 1-2 miles with an empty belly and return home at noon with the same empty belly. MFK has a USDA grant to develop and test a school snack this school year. We anticipate that feeding kids a nutritious snack as they walk in the door in the morning will boost their educational performance and attendance, and decrease anemia and sick days.  We are very grateful to USDA for funding this important program.

Our Old Factory

Our Old Factory was in a converted rental house, which could produce enough Medika Mamba to feed 8,000 children a year. As Tom Stehl, our Deputy Director says, it wasn't until 2008 that we even had chairs. Everything was done on buckets!

Our New Factory

In our new factory we are able to produce ten-times as much life-saving Medika Mamba as before. That means next year we could save 80,000 malnourished children. In our new 18,000 square foot facility we can grow and offer important malnutrition prevention products. We are all so excited!

We all hope to see you at our October 26th Ribbon Cutting!

If you're interested in attending, please contact Ashley Holmes at aholmes@mfkhaiti.org or 314.799.9072. 

As many of you may know, Tropical Storm Isaac came through Haiti and the Dominican Republic over the weekend. 

First and foremost, we here in Cap Haitien are all okay and still standing after the storm. Our hearts go out to those in the Port au Prince area who experienced dangerous flooding and mudslides. Isaac tragically took over two dozon lives as he bore down on Haiti and the Dominican Republic.  We are deeply saddened by this loss of life.  We know that many more are hurting, as Isaac has made their efforts to obtain safe and reliable shelter all the more critical. 

Our whole team remains steadfast in our commitment to save the lives of the nutritionally vulnerable in Haiti.   In the wake of the storm we will continue to reach out to partners to help supply them with Medika Mamba in this challenging time. 

We send our thoughts and support to those who are facing Isaac yet and still. 

This is Oris, who was treated for malnutrition through the Medika Mamba program at the Real Hope for Haiti Clinic. She started the program at a mere 12 pounds. She now weighs a much healthier 20 pounds!

This is Jn Edward. He started the Medika Mamba program at 33 pounds in February 2012, extremely swollen with kwashiorkor (malnutrition caused by protein deficiency) and suffering from worms. He is now a healthy 59 pounds, and is much stronger than when he first started the program.

This is Guerline. She is 11 years old and started the program weighing 26 pounds. She gained 5 pounds in just the first week of the Medika Mamba program, and now weighs 39 pounds!

These are just a few of the children that have been helped by Medika Mamba. With our new factory, we will be able to increase our production tenfold, and treat 80,000 malnourished children every year!

It has been almost ten months since we broke ground at the factory construction site, and we have installed more equipment to differentiate all of the rooms. It has been very exciting to start filling up all the empty rooms as we get closer to completion of the factory!

Dave Harman installing equipment. Taken July 15, 2012

Emergency exit signs and fire alarms have been installed! Taken July 15, 2012

The locker room. Taken July 15, 2012

Thank you to all of our supporters for helping us with our factory and enabling us to sustain our Medika Mamba program that saves thousands of children every year, including Oris, Jn Edward, and Guerline. We could not do it without you!

Part of the training involved site visits to two of MFK’s nearby peanut plots, organized by MFK’s agronomist Jamie Rhoads. Jamie provided demonstrations of aflatoxin testing, which can be conducted in the field to improve monitoring of contamination. He also showed participants the hand-tractors used in MFK’s agricultural program. Using these tractors have resulted in a 75% decrease in soil preparation costs compared to manual labor, correlating to an increase of profitability of $645 per average production area per harvest compared to $113 using traditional methods.

We are very grateful for being given the opportunity to participate in this training, and we thank Drs. Kemerait and Brenneman for sharing their knowledge.

Dr. Bob Kemerait demonstrating how to use a peanut maturity chart to determine the optimal time for harvesting peanuts.

Visiting MFK's peanut plots.

Lastly, the latest look at the factory interior, taken on June 20, 2012. Thank you to all of our contributors for your support thus far!

On June 19-20 in Limbe, Northern Haiti, MFK agricultural staff will showcase proven techniques that have improved production and the quality of peanuts at a workshop organized by the Georgia-based non-profit, League of Hope. The workshop will bring together similarly minded organizations working in the peanut sectors, such as MFK, Zanmi Agrikòl and Technoserve, to share experiences and best practices in agricultural development, and set the stage for future collaboration and investment. The group will have the opportunity to visit MFK’s nearby peanut trial plots and meet with farmer partners to learn about the model for small-scale, sustainable peanut farming, as well as aflatoxin abatement methods. We are very excited for this opportunity for MFK’s agricultural model to be scaled nationally to improve nutrition, rural livelihoods, and public health throughout Haiti!

The model used by MFK’s agricultural program has been developed over time in Haiti in collaboration with Haiti’s Ministry of Agriculture, the Christian University of Northern Haiti (UCNH), and international partners such as the University of Georgia and USAID’s Peanut CRSP. These evidence-based practices demonstrate that farmer incomes can increase dramatically while eventually lowering associated costs and improving crop quality, with empirical data showing an increase of profitability of $645 per average production area per harvest using MFK’s small-scale production model compared to that of $113 using traditional methods. This is achieved using affordable small-scale tractors, improved agronomic techniques, and minimal inputs. Read more about our agricultural program here.

Here are some photos from his visit, as well as some of the most recent photos of the factory. Thank you to everyone that has contributed to this project thus far and stay tuned for more updates on the factory!

Joe Grealy (center) with Ambassador Merten (right) and representatives from USAID and Chemonics, a global development firm.

From left to right:
Joe Grealy, MFK's Contruction Project Manager
Nicole Widdershiem, Country Representative, Office of Transition Initiatives, USAID
Cynthia Mahoney, Chemonics
Thomas Stehl, MFK's Deputy Director
Kenneth Merten, US Ambassador to Haiti
Gabriela Salazar, MFK Agricultural Development Fellow

Outer wall of the factory. Taken May 25, 2012.

The most recent photo of the factory! Taken June 1, 2012.

Taken April 24, 2012

Taken May 7, 2012

The interior of the factory, taken May 17, 2012

The walls are up! Taken May 18, 2012

And lastly, Jamie's amazing aerial shot! Taken May 22, 2012

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

A group of contractors from the US began the initial work on the mechanical, electrical and plumbing parts of the factory. All of the under slab components were roughed in and progress was made towards finalizing many decisions about the designs of those systems. Amteck is a large electrical contractor based in Lexington, KY that is donating a lot of time and energy and doing the work at cost.  They have also helped get much of the electrical materials donated or at cost.  They sent two people (Terry Hutchins and Ian Cogman) who did the preparatory electrical work for running the distribution wires under the floor.  They also worked with Todd Richmond who's firm Richmond Mechanical is working with Amteck to design and build all of the heating ventilation and air conditioning systems. The plumbing contractors were Mike and Dennis Bieg from St Louis. Dennis runs Bieg Plumbing and his brother Mike runs ICON mechanical.  They are donating their labor and plumbing fixtures. 

Thank you to all of these companies for your help and kindness!

...

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

...

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

They also saw the process of growing the peanuts used to make Medika Mamba.  Below, Mr. Lewis and Dr. Pat Wolff are posing with bags of peanuts.  The bags are specially designed for drying the peanuts in order to prevent the growth of aflatoxin, a fungus that is harmful to humans.

Both agencies are hoping to raise funds in order to purchase Medika Mamba to distribute to clinics and orphanages in Haiti. MFK would like to say thank you to these men and their organizations for their support!

...

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

MFK and the team in Haiti are making progress on the new factory in Cap Haitien! A prefabricated building is scheduled to be delivered next month. The entire project is set to be finished in July. This factory will allow MFK produce 10 times more Medika Mamba and the number of children's lives saved from 8,000 to 80,000! Below are pictures of the work that is being done currently.

...

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

...

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

To learn more about Friends of Children visit them at: http://www.thefriendsofchildren.org/

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

Dieulene arrived at Hospital St. Jean 9 weeks ago. At 19 months, she weighed only 14 pounds, far below the 19 pounds recommended for her height. She had a severe case of malnutrition. It’s always frightening to see children in this state- here today, gone tomorrow. Dieulene’s mother has passed away; her father is out of the picture. Previously, her grandmother had brought her to the clinic every week, now she is being hospitalized. This week a neighbor woman brought Dieulene to the check up.

Usually children’s caregivers are referred to the Medika Mamba program when the child comes to the clinic for vaccinations or other concerns such as diarrhea. If the nurse recognizes that the child is underweight, they refer them to the program. Medika Mamba is designed to meet the needs of severe and moderately malnourished children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old. Doses (in spoonful) are doled out several times a day according to the child’s weight and height, the bigger the child, the greater the dose. Progress is monitored on a weekly basis and caretakers are only given enough Medika Mamba to get them through the week, thus ensuring their attendance at the following week’s check-in.  

Lethargic, inactive and weary describe a child who is losing the battle with malnutrition. This no longer describes Dieulene who was alert, feisty, and irritable during her 9th and final visit, just like a healthy child when surrounded by strangers. This is a good sign.  Her discharge weight is a healthy 18.7 pounds. Thick healthy skin with a little fat under it covers the ribs on her back, unlike nearby children who were just beginning their Medika Mamba regimens. This kind of improvement in child after child is what fuels our commitment to increasing the availability and use of Medika Mamba in the fight against childhood malnutrition. 

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

Since 2007 53-year-old Jean-Marie has woken up before dark to take a tap-tap or public bus to MFK each day. His salary helps him support his family and pay for his three children’s schooling. Jean-Marie sorts boxes of raw materials- peanuts, powdered milk and the supplements that make up Medika Mamba- he loads them to trucks and a storage depot. Jean-Marie then makes sure the depot is swept, mopped, and kept tidy. Passing motorcycles, busses, and cars stir up dust, meaning his job is a constant task.

Jean-Marie says he is glad for the work. He’s one of 30 Haitians employed at MFK in a country where most of the population has no formal job. Before he worked with us Jean-Marie came to the MFK factory day after day, promising to work hard if employed. When MFK finally made the smart move and hired him everyone was amazed at his incredible work ethic. 

Jean-Marie has an incredible story and has been involved in all sorts of work. At one point he planted tobacco in the Dominican Republic for an American company. For two years he rowed a boat and caught fish. “Fishing is fine,” he said in Creole, “When you’re not old.”

On the weekends, he and his wife run a small shop that sells necessities like beans, rice, and oil. He hopes to save money between the two jobs so his family can have a little security. Jean-Marie wants to be part of MFK’s growth. With a new factory and more supplies, Jean-Marie said he’s excited to see MFK expand. “I want us to serve all the children of Haiti,” he said.

He thinks on his life as he mops quietly. He said his tranquility comes from his faith in God and a simple approach to his job: “Work is for working.”

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

In 2010 MFK joined Nutriset’s PlumpyField Network, a global community of independent producers of nutritional solutions for vulnerable populations. One of the main ways the PlumpyField Network helps fight malnutrition is to transfer technology to promote local responses to malnutrition. MFK is part of the PlumpyField Network’s success story, and we have benefited from our membership. As a member, we have been able to acquire our new Opti-Nut machinery, strengthen our quality assurance and comply with international standards. All of these things strengthen MFK’s ability to produce a local solution to issues of malnutrition in Haiti. In short, the PlumpyField Network enables us to help save children's lives.

Being part of the PlumpyField Network also means MFK is now part of a global movement to fight malnutrition. While MFK works to fight malnutrition in Haiti, other members of the PlumpyField Network are helping vulnerable populations in Sudan, Malawi and India, just to name a few. Right now Edesia and HILINA, fellow network members, are playing a crucial role in providing nutritional solutions and hope to the crisis going on in East Africa. Click here to see CNN video about the East African crisis and see boxes of Plumpy'nut being unloaded to fight the hunger in Somalia. When a Plumpy’nut product reaches a child, a life is changed. MFK is proud to be part of Nutriset’s PlumpyField Network and the global fight against malnutrition.

Pictured below MFK Maintenance Officer Phito Daniel Florestal and Nutriset Process Engineer Simon Goujard holding some of the first Medika Mamba to come off the new Opti-Nut line. 

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

Anyone going on a trip to a third world country should write a description of poverty before leaving and put it in a safe place. Upon returning and reading it, that definition would seem so mundane and inaccurate. Poverty is something that must be experienced first hand with all of your senses.

My journey began with something sweet, "Mr. Faught's Brown Cookies", the favorite treat of the children at The Wilson School in Clayton, Missouri.  Charla Gray, a 6th grade teacher, had told the students about Dr. Patricia Wolff, a local pediatrician with a dedication to the children of Haiti.  When Dr. Wolff came to the school to talk, the students were engaged and asking brilliant question. I was immediately impressed by the Dr. Wolff’s dedication to help the malnourished children of Haiti. The students were also impressed and decided to have a bake sale to raise funds for Meds & Food for Kids, my contribution was "Mr. Faught's Brown Cookies".

I later ended up joining MFK’s  board  on a trip to Haiti in May, 2010. I wanted to bring something to the Haitian children from us in St. Louis.  Dr. Wolff and I decided that chewable vitamins packaged in quantities of 30 would be the most helpful. I with the assistance of many friends, including the children of Wilson, was able to gather and package 30,000 vitamins!

Having been in the field of education for 40 years I thought I knew how to identify a child's age with just a glance.  But in Haiti I saw small, lethargic children languishing on their parents' laps with not the energy to smile.  Being used to animate, vocal children, I found it difficult to know the age of the children.  It wasn't hard to figure out their physical condition, they were sick and in need of help.  The difference adequate nutrition makes in the life of a child is shocking.

In Haiti we visited a slum where many children and their families were going to a clinic that was open only a half day a week. There I saw some of the most caring people working under inhospitable and impossible conditions. The children had no energy, no sparkle, and without Medika Mamba no hope.  Along with bringing her medical expertise and dedication Dr. Wolff was hiring and training local people to work in the factory and expand the number of children treated.  She was providing a "hand up" rather than a "hand out".

Is there anyone more important than a child?  The children of the world are our future.  Each child deserves a chance to grow into a healthy, happy, productive person.  Please join me in giving continued support to Meds & Food for Kids.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

Last week Thursday, Meds & Food for Kids had an employee appreciation day for all factory employees. It was inspired by the fact that many of them had never been to the Citadelle, even though it's only 45 minutes away by car. The Citadelle Laferrière is the largest fortress in the Americas and was built 1805-1820 by King Henri Christophe against French attack post-independence. 

The day started at 4:30 am to pick up employees to head to the Citadelle. Seven Haitian employees and the two American fellows packed into one of the Land Cruisers and headed out. We arrived at the Citadelle so early that we were the first ones there. Rodin Saintil and Jean Alex Pierre crammed in the front seat so that they could see the Citadelle and San Souci Palace as they approached. Rodin said, "M vle chita devan paske m pa kon li!" I want to sit up front because I have never seen the Citadelle!

The group was guided by Johny Remy who has many years of experience as a Citadelle tour guide. Some people were more engaged about the history, and others were excited to sit on cannons. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the Citadelle sat prominently atop the mountain. Everyone was full of energy; Claudin even took some short cuts and was the first to the top. 

Following the Citadelle, all employees were invited to the Employee Appreciation BBQ and Party. (All employees could have come to the Citadelle, but many said they would be too tired to dance if they did both in one day!) Everyone brought friends and family. It was great for everyone to meet husbands, wives and kids of co-workers... in their Sunday's best too! It was a day for good food, great company, and to relax and have fun.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw material

Dr. Wolff will speak to the benefits of locally produced Ready to Use Foods (RUFs) along with the use of local agricultural and labor to create a sustainable solution to treating malnutrition. The benefits of the local approach to RUFs include: their ability to target populations with the greatest need for nutritional interventions, local farmers having access to an expanded and stable market to sell their products, and the jobs created spur economic development. RUFs help ameliorate nutritional emergencies, locally produced RUFs target the root causes of malnutrition.

Other leaders and entrepreneurs from the PlumpyField Network will discuss how they work to ensure these nutritional products reach the children who need them most. The themes of the conference include increasing production of targeted nutritional products tailored to the needs of affected population, promoting global cooperation and support from the private sector, and achieving sustainability by raising awareness.

 In 2010 alone, PlumpyField network members, including MFK, have supplied enough RUFs to treat more than one million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition and one million children suffering from moderate acute malnutrition. Nutriset and the PlumpyField Network are currently invested in more than 60 scientific studies to develop new products, targeted to address the entire spectrum of nutritional deficiencies in the developing world.

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 Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

The program is supported by Fearless Warriors, a religious-based non-profit founded by a couple from Belvidere, IL, whose mission is to help Haitians help themselves. MFK supplied the initial 2 months supply of Medika Mamba to get the program going, along with staff training in treating malnutrition and education for families on good nutrition for their children.

The clinic started with 11 kids. After 6 weeks on the Medika Mamba program, 9 of the children reached their goal weight and graduated. The other two will continue the program for a few more weeks. Soon Fearless Warriors will be graduating their second class of Medika Mamba children.?

Fearless Warriors provided peanut seeds to 52 families in the community.  The peanuts grown will provide a needed source of protein for diets that are often high in sugar and carbohydrates. The additional protein will keep bellies full and provide instant energy. In addition, the farmers can sell the peanuts to provide vital extra income.

The best aspect of this program is that the farmers can also sell the peanuts to MFK! This project will allow us to expand the amount of raw peanuts we purchase in Haiti. Fearless Warriors is doing critical work alongside MFK. The partnership enhances MFK’s impact on farmers and children. Fearless Warriors benefit by being able to expand the number of children they treat in Haiti. This partnership is as natural as let’s say… peanut butter and jelly.

To Read More about Fearless Warriors click here

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

MFK employees Gerald Latortue (accountant), Fredo Andre (production), and Dr. Pat Wolff (executive director) became the MFK cheering section. The race started at 8:30 am and by that time the sun was already beating down on them. The course started down town at the Cathedral, looped out to the boulevard, and cut back through town. There were spectators gathered at the cathedral and lots of befuddled onlookers at other areas of the course. 

Edner finished the 6.2 mile race in just 49 minutes. It was his first competitive sports event! Jamie placed a strong 5th in the women's division. Eyleen elated she was able to finish her first 10K. After this positive experience, Edner decided he is going to continue to train for his next race! MFK is happy that we were so well represented at the race which promotes healthy lifestyles as well as builds solidarity. 

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

Meds & Food for Kids announced a $600,000 challenge for its capital campaign at the Missouri Botanical Garden on Monday April 25th 2011 in St. Louis.  

Campaign chairs  Dr. Peter Raven, President Emeritus of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and Thad Simons, CEO and President of Novus International, joined Dr. Patricia Wolff, founder and Executive Director of MFK, to address a group of supporters, donors and advocates to talk about MFK's work in Haiti and its push to build a new factory for its life-saving foods.                                                                                                                            

"We should all be proud that such an extraordinary program began right here in St. Louis,” said Raven. “Now we all need to make sure the new factory is a reality soon to dramatically strengthen this life-saving, community building work in Haiti.”    

 “MFK goes beyond aid by using local labor and resources to help end the cycle of poverty. They are creating steady jobs, supporting local farmers and making kids healthy.” said Simons.                               

 MFK has successfully treated more than 24,000 malnourished children in Haiti with the ready-to-use therapeutic food that the organization manufactures in a house-turned-factory in Cap Haitian, Haiti.  A capital campaign is underway to fund a larger, more efficient factory that will enable Meds & Food for Kids to increase its production ten fold to treat 80,000 children annually.                                                                                                    

The “Local Hands Bright Future” campaign goal is $3 million. The increased production of the new factory will create jobs and support 1,000 Haitian peanut farmers.  By meeting the standards of large-scale production of international aid organizations that purchase and distribute the treatment products, the factory will become financially self-sustaining by 2015.                                                                                                                                                        

 “We are thrilled and honored by the generous support we’ve received, especially from our own St. Louis community,” said MFK founder and executive director Dr. Patricia Wolff.                                                                                  

 MFK aims to break ground on the new factory later this year and is challenging supporters to generate an additional $600,000 in the next six months to bring the construction plan to fruition.          

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development.

Andre Fredo who goes simply by Fredo is MFK’s Assistant Production Officer. Fredo comes from a large (this maybe an understatement) family with 8 brothers and sisters. He grew up in Ti Bouk, Port Margo, a small village about 2 hours from Cap Haitian. When Fredo was a child Ti Bouk was a thriving town with many people. Unfortunately due to urbanization and continued erosion from a lack of trees  Ti Bouk is no longer a bustling place

At the age of 18 Fredo moved to the Cap Haitien where he rented a small apartment and went to school full time. In 2004 Fredo decided it be safer to live with his cousins in Cap Haitien. Regrettably not long after this move his father became sick and Fredo could no longer afford to go to school. After hearing this a MFK manager who new Fredo thought he would make a great addition to the MFK team, he was right. Fredo has been with MFK for over 3 years and is still working on his education so he can graduate from school in just over a year.

MFK has given Fredo the tools to help those in his community who are suffering from malnutrition. Fredo once encountered a child in his community whose mother had died, despite the caregivers best efforts the child would not gain weight.  Fredo asked Davnic, an MFK health agent, to visit the child and take them to the nearest Medika Mamba clinic. According to reports from Fredo the child is growing strong and doing well in school. When Fredo was asked how he felt about his work he replied, “I am happy to work for MFK because I know that we are working to help children who are suffering”.

Fredo is not all business though during his free time he enjoys reading, using the computer, watching T.V. (when there is power) and going to the beach. Fredo is a dedicated and hardworking member of the MFK team who often entertains other employees keeping the work atmosphere light hearted and fun. During the three weeks that MFK’s Production Officer and Quality Manager were in France Fredo stepped up and kept track of all the records required of the Production Officer. He is now attending night computer classes to learn Excel and Word. Fredo’s dedication to MFK, his education, and his community make us proud that he is a part of the MFK team.  

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials

In November 2010, MFK program officer Nurse Berenise Estimable and MFK Graduate Fellow Eyleen Chou visited Blanchard, Haiti to train health staff from Partners in Development. Since then, their Medika Mamba program has admitted eight children. Here is one of their stories.

 Too weak to stand, Kenfa, a 19-month-old girl with diarrhea, fever and dehydration weighed only 4.5 kilos, (just under 10 lbs), a weight more typical of a one-month old child. After four weeks on Medika Mamba, Kenfa is starting to stand on her own. She is no longer dehydrated and is readily taking spoonfuls of the paste. Her mom and the medical team were pleased to see her gain over 2 pounds, and are excited to see her continued improvement in the weeks to come.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

On Monday, Quality Control Officer Darline Aurelien and Production Officer Ken Thercy traveled the 4,500 miles from Haiti to France for training with MFK’s new partner, Nutriset. Darline and Ken were excited for the trip as neither had ever left Hispaniola, the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The planning of the trip and task of getting all the necessary paper work took months. Like any great adventure Ken and Darline faced many trials and tribulations. On arriving in France both were shocked by the near freezing temperature in Paris. For two people who have never left the Caribbean it was a cruel greeting. The cold was made worse by the fact that Ken’s luggage was nowhere to be found and is still somewhere between Port-au-Prince and Paris.

The two proceeded to travel by train to the small town of Malaunay in the north of France, the home of Nutriset. Ken and Darline are hard at work but are also looking forward to the weekend when a Nutriset colleague will show them the sights and delights of Normandy. For MFK this is a step closer to the procurement and installation of the Opti-nut, new machinery that will be capable of producing 15,000 kilos of Medika Mamba a month. For Ken and Darline the training will expand their capacity and enable to them to take additional responsibilities when the new machinery comes online.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Photos courtesty of www.jsilverberg.com

In the fall of 2008, Chloe VanDenBrink, an undergraduate student at the University of Indiana, was in Haiti as a United Methodist Volunteer sponsored by HAPI, an artisans’ co-op in Mizak. While in Haiti her job was to survey communities to find children to enroll in the Medika Mamba program.

On Chloe’s first trip hiking through the mountains in Mizak, after a long day and with four malnourished children enrolled in the Mamba program, a man approached her and insisted she visit a nearby family. Chloe initally resisted, for although she understood the family was in dire need, there were no more spaces left in the program for the children in the area. The man’s persistence and unwillingness to hear no for an answer eventually made Chloe relent. Together they hiked an additional mile to Loti, the poorest area in Mizak. The home that he led her to was in a state of disrepair far beyond the usual hurricane damage in the area. As Chloe approached the house she could see a child lying on a small cloth on the front porch. As Chloe gazed down at the fly-covered, motionless, emaciated girl she had the frightening thought, “Why is this family leaving their dead child to lie on the ground like this?” Then something astonishing happened: the child began to move.

The child’s name was Marie-Claudine; when she was found by Chloe she was 19 months old and weighed only 6.7 pounds, about the same as a newborn baby. Chloe realized that the situation was life or death and that getting Marie-Claudine started on the Medika Mamba program was her only chance of survival. When Marie-Claudine began the Mamba program there were low expectations of a recovery, and some wondered if it was too late. What could not be measured on a scale were Marie-Claudine’s courage, bravery and resolution. After just five weeks in the Mamba program Marie-Claudine had more than doubled her weight to 15.5 pounds and was an impressive 18.3 pounds by the end.

During Marie-Claudine’s treatment, she formed a strong connection with Chloe that still links the two to this day. Chloe has been back to Haiti four times since 2008 and has made sure to check in with Marie-Claudine on every visit. Last year Chloe helped build a new home for Marie-Claudine’s family, and Chloe describes her time working with Marie-Claudine as the best experience of her life.

Marie-Claudine continues to grow and develop. Marie-Claudine’s courage serves not only to inspire Chloe but to remind us all of the resilience and fortitude of the Haitian people. Marie-Claudine is a reason we have great hope in the future of Haiti despite the seemingly unending challenges. Chloe’s dedication to Haiti proves the amazing outcomes that may be achieved when people come together for a cause. Meds and Food for Kids is proud to be a part of Marie-Claudine and Chloe’s inspiring story.

Chloe recently graduated from Indiana University and is planning to attend graduate school in the fall to study public health and hopes to be able to use what she learns to make a positive impact in Haiti. Marie-Claudine resides in Mizak with her family.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Reported on 2-3-2011 by Jamie VanArtsdalen, MFK Fellow

Most of the employees arrived on time today at 7:00am, though some had trouble getting to work due to tire burnings downtown which meant fewer taptaps (public transportation) on the street. The radio was turned on and all employees listened as the election results were being announced. There was this nervous energy in anticipation of what the results might be.

At about 7:45am the announcement that Jude Celestin would not be in the running for president was announced. Everyone started shouting and dancing with relief. They were all commenting that now everything would be calm and things could go on as usual. I had just been in discussions with Ken, the production officer, as to whether we should produce or not today because of the threat of more unrest before the announcement was made.

We are up and running and hoping to make over 700 kg to make up for closing early yesterday due to protests in town.

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 Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

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 Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Follow this link to read Dr. Wolff's letter to the November 2nd 2010 print edition of St. Louis Post Dispatch  

Cholera outbreak shows Haiti needs help

Haiti is making international headlines again. Still reeling from a devastating earthquake in January, the country now is battling an outbreak of cholera that already has claimed the lives of more than 300 people. If the disease continues to spread, authorities are concerned for the welfare of the 1.3 million people who still are living in unsanitary conditions in tent camps.

 This outbreak should serve as a vivid reminder of all we take for granted here in the United States. Clean water, food and shelter are precarious or lacking for more than two thirds of the world's population. A cholera outbreak here would not have the mortality rate experienced in Haiti. Much of the Haitian population is malnourished and, thus, suffers from suppressed immune systems incapable of fighting infectious disease.

Haiti needs immediate help and practical development that will make the country and its people more self-sustaining and less vulnerable. One such approach that's working successfully is through Meds & Food for Kids, a St. Louis-based non-profit working to provide life-saving food to severely malnourished children and to drive economic development in Haiti. We strive to treat illness and address its underlying causes.

Our manufacture and distribution of peanut butter medicine is truly a miracle for Haitian kids who go from severely malnourished to healthy in just six weeks. By training Haitian farmers, using Haitian peanuts and employing Haitians to make and distribute this nutritional medicine, we are helping create both physical and economic health that will make Haitians and Haiti less vulnerable. Poverty leads to malnutrition, which leads to a fragile population.

We applaud the efforts of all those working to build a stronger Haiti and stronger Haitian people. We believe that success is attainable. Together, we can and should provide a brighter future for Haiti, our neighbor and long-suffering friend.

 Dr. Patricia B. Wolff • St. Louis Founder and Executive Director, Meds & Food for Kids

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Located in a small town about half an hour west of Cap Haitian, Limbé Clinic serves as a community health center that coordinates a multitude of programs, from maternity health to voluntary counseling and HIV testing.  For many years, with support from MFK and the World Bank, it has also run an outpatient program to treat children for acute malnutrition with Medika Mamba.

Madam Thoby runs the show with outstanding success rates, part of which can be attributed to how seriously she takes the program protocols. Following the end of the grant with MFK, Limbé is now able to keep this program up and running through the generosity of an individual donor. Dr. Alvarez visited the clinic earlier this year and chose to channel his generosity into supplying the clinic with life-saving Medika Mamba, after seeing firsthand the importance of this program for the community and the quick turnaround rates of children who enter the program with little hope and leave with much more, their health. Madam Thoby recently told the story of a young boy named Mèrèlus. He entered the program with severe Kwashiorkor, an acute form of childhood protein-energy malnutrition. When the mother returned, two weeks later, Madam Thoby was confused since it appeared she hadn’t brought her son with her to the clinic. Replacing confusion with joy, the mother explained that the young boy sitting next to her was Mèrèlus. “We’re still seeing miracles,” she said with a huge smile and a face that exudes dedication. Limbe clinic hospital.jpgShe went on to explain that often children with severe Kwashiorkor complete the treatment in less than the full 12 weeks allowed by the protocols. They’ve typically turned around by 10 weeks, which demonstrates that mothers are listening, learning, and adhering to Madam Thoby’s instructions for effective use. Prior to using the Medika Mamba, vitamin enriched milk with much lower success rates and higher associated costs was used. Now, with their community based care approach paired with the gold standard treatment for malnutrition, hope has been restored in the nurses, the mothers, and in the children. Madam Thoby explained that when the kids come into the clinic and see the sachets of Medika Mamba, they cry. They want the Mamba.

Madam Thoby works alongside Madam Yva; the two women combined have clocked up sixty years at the Limbé Clinic. Together they have seen many changes, developed strong ties with the other existing hospital in the area, and they continue to improve the livelihoods of many with strong educational programs and low cost life saving services.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

To read the full article please click here.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

First, the seed must be treated by hand, a task accomplished by machinery in much less time in the United States. The treatment is applied to reduce the potential of fungi growth on peanuts, an important though not an easy feat in the tropics. Reducing fungi growth leads to increased yields, though to what degree remains uncertain when factors such as rainfall and rodents play into the picture. In an area where increased yields affects putting food on the table and sending children to school rather than profit margins, it is a step that cannot be ignored.

Above: Tim Brenneman treats over 15 bags of seed separately taking caution not to damage them.

Meanwhile, David and James repair an oil leak in the newly acquired, but nowhere near shiny or new, tractor that makes it possible to plow twice as much land in half the amount of time than by hand. Techniques and technologies like this are so uncommon that within minutes two crowds have formed, one around Tim treating the seed and the other around David and James who repair the tractor and fill the machine with fuel, another comparatively difficult task. Only 10 feet from the tractor a man splits bamboo with a machete supplying the men with stakes to mark the varieties of seed planted in the trial plot. This is merely the preparation phase.

Above: They improvise a makeshift gas station and use bamboo stakes to mark the local varieties

Seven hours later, the field is freshly plowed, a new trial plot laid, peanuts planted, and relationships formed with members of the community, some of whom gathered to observe, others to work, and still more to provide hospitality to MFK’s PCRSP partners.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

 Madame Bwa lives and works in Cap Haitian’s poorest slum, Shada. For MFK, she educates mothers about good nutrition and clean water and refers severely malnourished children to the Medika Mamba malnutrition program at Hôpital Justinien. Her work also involves a free clinic, midwifery services, and nutrition and sexual education of kids and adolescents. The narrow mud alleys of Shada leading up to her clinic are filled with glass and other trash, tepid water, and curious children. Inside her clinic, it is overflowing with patients, because it is the one day a week that they can pay a doctor to come for consultations. Fungal and helminthic infections, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis and HIV are common. Tests for diagnoses are expensive and even with a diagnosis, medicine is scarce. Over the noise of screaming children, she tells of the hardship of watching the children suffer, especially those that she helped bring into this world. As a midwife, she averages 50 births a month, which makes 2-3 births a day. She has been working in the area for 33 years. Doing the math, most of the kids in the clinic were brought into the world with her assistance.

Similar to MFK's mission, she tries to address the root causes of the problems she sees on a daily basis. Her work educating young women about sex has decreased young pregnancies. Her practical skills program includes sowing and shoe making and provides a social opportunity for adolescents. Repeatedly, she uses the words ‘not enough' - not enough medicine, not enough money, not enough space - and yet she is so grateful for little things. Madame Bwa is an incredible woman who has almost nothing but is willing to give everything. She represents a bulwark against resignation. Every day she fights for a better future for her community and the people in Shada.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

MFK Social Enterprise of the Day

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

A major achievement during the most recent visit from our PCRSP partners, and most personally rewarding, was getting our 2 wheel tractor up and running. I bought the tractor from another nongovernmental organization in March and have been slowly working out the kinks. Between the 15 horsepower hand-cranked diesel motor and a non-resourceful operator's manual, it had plenty of kinks, including our cranking arms. But, with the help of John, Chad and Frank, we put it to work preparing our plots and developed an interesting "peanut gallery" in the neighbor's field. At approximately US $2000, I have a lot of hope that this kind of technology will make more scaled and advanced farming a possibility and ultimately make purchasing local peanuts from Haitian farmers more advantageous.

Pictured above is agronomist Gregory Anténor shortly after the tractor was repaired.

For the purposes of training, I’m lending it to our Universite Chretienne du Nord d'Haiti agriculture school partners to learn how to use it. They purchased one to be shipped this summer. I'm basically becoming the sales rep for these things. I'm also trying to arrange a field day with another agriculture group here to talk up the tractors in the hopes of making their use more widespread.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

In 2010, MFK and its wonderful partners have offered Medika Mamba to nearly 2,300 of Haiti's malnourished children. These are children just like Briana.

Pictured above: Briana before at 9 pounds

Pictured above: Briana after at nearly 16 pounds

Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center recently updated their blog with pictures of children currently being treated with Medika Mamba. RHFH continues to see positive results since 2009 thanks to their partnership with World Wide Village. To view the post click here. 

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Working in the agriculture sector in Haiti makes me realize how thoughtful the leaders of our country were when they set up the land grant system in the US after the Civil War.  I think the US population was more than 90% rural at the time and we were an essentially agrarian society.  Haiti is around 70% rural, but it is also still an essentially agrarian society and yet, there has been very little investment in building real productive capacity.  This lack of investment is the reason that our collaborators with the USAID Peanut Collaborative Research and Support Program (CRSP) partner with MFK, a social enterprise, rather than the non-functioning, barely-existing state agricultural programs. Since 2008, MFK has been the in-country collaborator for the peanut specialists from the Universities of Georgia, Oklahoma State and North Carolina State, as well as their extended network of peanut industry experts and even the USDA peanut research lab.  

Pictured above: Dr. Chad Godsey working with an ag technician from an Oxfam funded peanut project in one of our target grower areas.

MFK recently had two visits from people in this network, including a special visit by a group from the UGA School of Agriculture and other people from the peanut industry.  They were looking into how they could offer more assistance in Haiti following the earthquake and visited several projects across the country, but also checked in on our activities.  One member of this group was Sally Wells, a representative of Birdsong Peanuts who has arranged several donations for MFK, including 4000 lbs of high yielding spanish peanut seed that I have been distributing for testing among our grower areas.  I think the shorter growing period for spanish peanuts (~100 days vs. ~130 days for runner peanuts) will improve profitability for growers and possibly reduce the aflatoxin problem.

The other PCRSP visit was from our more regular visitors, Drs. John Damicone and Chad Godsey, plant pathologist and agronomist from Oklahoma State and Frank Nolin, a peanut processing expert from Georgia.  John, Chad and I worked on laying out trials to test some the improved cultivars, as well as the potential impacts of minimal soil fertilization.  As legumes, peanuts are good crop for Haitian soils that lack nitrogen, but could possibly greatly benefit from a small amount of potassium, phosphorus or other micronutrients.  Like the children who receive Medika Mamba, many of the soils in Haiti are suffering from malnutrition.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

This exciting and unique opportunity puts MFK in the position to work with some of the most brilliant minds in peanut farming and production. These individuals include Bob Kermerait, Associate Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Georgia, Dan Brown, Expert in Nutritional Toxicology and Associate Professor at Cornell University, Tim Brenneman, Plant Pathologist and Professor at the University of Georgia, John Damicone, Professor of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Oklahoma State University, Chad Godsey, Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Oklahoma State University, and Christopher Butts, Agricultural Engineer.

According to Tom Stehl, MFK’s Coordinator of Operations, “We count on partnerships to make things happen and this is an incredibly valuable partnership for agricultural development.”

In order to improve markets and create opportunities for Haitian peanut farmers, the quality of Haitian peanuts must be improved. Farmers working with MFK are developing the best quality peanuts through agricultural trainings, the reduction of toxins, and field trials that control for soil preparations, seed treatments, and more.

It is important for buyers to understand the benefit of buying locally grown peanuts to support sustainable agricultural practices and long term development in Haiti. These innovative technical assistance Peanut CRSP projects funded by USAID support MFK's agricultural goals to increase yields, reduce toxin levels, and increase farmer incomes.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

To read the post, click here.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

After a year of work, I’m kicking off the first of what I hope will be a continuing series of posts about MFK agriculture programs. Apparently I timed this inaugural post well, because this is the first time that I’ve been able to get reliable data from some of our peanut trial plots!

I’ve been collaborating with the second year agronomy students at the Universite Chretienne du Nord d’Haiti (Northern Haiti Christian University) to learn about peanut production in Haiti and test a few varieties and basic inputs. The students have been very enthusiastic about working together and it’s been great for everyone involved to build some experience designing plots to help test their ideas about crops. I believe we’ve had more questions posed than we could possibly answer, but one major issue was apparently resolved.  

St. Louis-based documentary filmmaker Frank Popper joined me for a visit to UCNH. Here, Frank talks with the agronomy students about the merits of peanut production in Haiti.

Because peanuts grow underground, one of the most difficult issues for peanut farmers is determining when to harvest their crop. In Haiti, farmers have been growing peanuts for generations, but when asked how to determine if a peanut plant is mature enough to harvest, they offer you a conflicted response:  "It shows you it is mature when all its leaves dry up and the plant dies." In other growing conditions, this would not be true. But here in Haiti, there are several diseases that attack peanuts, dry up the leaves and, ultimately, kill the plant. If the plant does succumb to disease, then it is as mature a plant as it will ever get, so you should probably go ahead and harvest... so there is some truth to their statement. Unfortunately, these diseased peanut plants are weakened, produce fewer peanuts, are harder to harvest and probably are more likely to have aflatoxin problems (more on aflatoxin in some other post!).  

At the university,  we discussed these disease problems with the agronomy students to see what we could do about it. Two ways to deal with this problem are to 1) choose varieties that have been bred to have natural resistance to these diseases, and 2) spray fungicide. We tried both. We sprayed a foliar fungicide on half of the plots and not on the other. In the picture below you can see that none of the varieties that we currently have available have much resistance to the diseases in Haiti, so those plants all died. However, the plants that were protected by the fungicide were still green and growing. I just harvested the other half of the plot (2 weeks later) and will measure the results soon. This will be the first reliable data that we have been able to collect. 

Our next step will be to try some of the varieties we have been sent via the ICRISAT, the global research center for peanuts and to see how few fungicide sprays we can get away with without losing too much yield.    

Yet another exciting week of peanut farming in Haiti!  It’s so rewarding to experience these little victories!

Universite Chretienne du Nord d'Haiti trial plots. Through testing, we learned that none of the peanut plant varieties that we currently have available have much resistance to the diseases in Haiti, so those plants died. However, the test plants that were protected by the fungicide were still green and growing.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

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“Medika Mamba,” a fortified, peanut-butter-based, ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF) endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF could well be one of the most effective life-savers among victims of the disastrous earthquakes in Haiti. Three St. Louis-area organizations are working hard to ensure that this lifeline continues to be available during the disaster relief period and beyond.

Meds & Food for Kids (MFK) is the focus of a Challenge Campaign launched today by Novus International in partnership with the World Trade Center Saint Louis. The goal of the challenge campaign is to raise funds by February 12 to produce as much Medika Mamba as possible to help the injured and malnourished Haitian children and their families.

"This partnership is another example of the inspiring generosity of the St. Louis community," said MFK Executive Director Dr. Patricia Wolff in an email from Cap-Haitien, Haiti. "The funds raised from this campaign will save the lives of Haiti's most vulnerable citizens--its malnourished children." 

The latest death toll in Haiti is estimated at 150,000, with thousands more buried in mass graves. An estimated 2 million Haitians are homeless or living in make-shift shelters, and 250,000 are in dire need of urgent care, according to government reports.

In support of this initiative, Novus International President and Chief Executive Officer Thad Simons issued communication to all worldwide Novus employees urging them to make earthquake relief donations to MFK or similar organizations committed to assisting Haiti from disaster through to rebuilding.  

Novus International, a St. Charles-based company and a leading developer of animal health and nutrition programs for the poultry, pork, beef, dairy, aquaculture, and companion animal industries worldwide, made the first corporate donation of $10,000 to the Challenge Campaign. Additionally, Novus will match employee donations, dollar-for-dollar.

“The daily challenges of Haiti’s children and their families are enormous and saddening” Simons said. “This disaster relief effort led by MFK will help to provide healthy, nutritious food for injured and malnourished Haitian children, whose lives have been torn apart. It is an honor for our team at Novus to support the noble efforts of this organization.”

Novus International’s Simons believes that partnering with the World Trade Center Saint Louis is a pivotal way of engaging the international trade community in supporting a local non-profit. Simons said the World Trade Center Saint Louis is a huge asset in this effort because of its international business contacts, market research and global influence.

“The Haiti disaster is unprecedented and needs the support from all of us," said World Trade Center Saint Louis Executive Director Tim Nowak.  "As an international trade organization, World Trade Center Saint Louis has a civic responsibility to reach out and help the Haitian community during this important relief effort.” 

World Trade Center Saint Louis’ operating license is granted by the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) in New York, and serves most of Missouri and Southern Illinois. Its goal is to enhance international trade, promote local economic development, and ultimately foster peace and stability through trade.

St. Louis area residents, businesses and corporations are urged to donate to MFK by going to the "Medika Mamba Challenge" site. To support the challenge campaign, click here.

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Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Meds & Food for Kids saves the lives of Haiti's malnourished children by producing and distributing highly nutritious foods, including Medika Mamba, a Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food endorsed by the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Because of its commitment to Haiti's long-term development, MFK produces Medika Mamba in Haiti, with Haitian labor, and with many Haitian raw materials.

Click here to read a transcript of the video from the UN.

Read more about Medika Mamba and our partnership with World Wide Village
on The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog.

Surveying the turquoise shack, nestled on the side of a mountain, I wonder how Adele Charles and her family survives here. Will the baby asleep on the bed wake up to slow drops of rain that drip through holes in the ceiling? Will a stronger cascade burst through the cracks like a waterfall?

But Adele Charles has more pressing concerns than the strength of her home, which she has already repaired several times after hurricanes took down its walls and transformed the dust floor into a deep sea of mud.