Giving Compass' Take:

• Sangeetha Watson discusses ongoing projects addressing malnutrition in Asia and calls for greater philanthropic investment in this cause. 

• Are you ready to tackle malnutrition in Asia? What partnerships can advance your impact? 

• Learn about the role of international cooperation in addressing hunger. 

Individual philanthropists have started to make their mark in the nutrition space and some stand-out examples are emerging that have the potential to be scaled and replicated across Asia.

US-based philanthropist Spencer Kirk’s foundation,  Kirk Humanitarian is a case-in-point. It identified that expecting mothers in low-resource countries received only 2 micronutrients during prenatal care whilst mothers in developed countries received multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) that contained 15 essential vitamins and minerals. Troubled by this discrepancy, Kirk Humanitarian funded research that proved the benefits of prenatal supplements containing 15 essential micronutrients and also developed production and distribution operations to ensure that over 3 million women were provided with over 2 billion MMS doses in 80 countries over the course of two decades.  As a result, even the World Health Organization has modified its guidelines to reflect a renewed recommendation of MMS. Kirk has also pledged a further 1 million in funding that will go towards providing 15 million cycles of MMS over three years.

Another frontrunner in filling global gaps in nutrition is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). With a long-term goal to prevent 1.8 million malnutrition-related death by 2020, BMGF has been engaged in various efforts, from agricultural development to discovery and translational sciences to testing new solutions. Recently, BMGF is transforming the way iron and vitamin A are fortified in foods by developing a new nutrient delivery system that can help billions of people suffering from malnutrition. BMGF has been a catalyst in driving consolidated efforts towards nutrition across the world.

To scale existing nutrition programs, more funding is needed. Nearly USD 7 billion a year will be required to meet the global sustainable development goals  in a timely manner

Read the full article about fighting malnutrition in Asia by Sangeetha Watson at AVPN.