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ULI Gift Helps U.S. Nonprofit Boost Food Production in HaitiCommentary by Patrick L. Phillips
Chief Executive Officer, Urban Land Institute

In January 2010, in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Haiti, I called upon ULI members to give generously to first responders such as the Red Cross, World Vision, International Relief and Development, the various United Nations aid agencies, and the many other NGOs providing immediate relief.

Since then, we’ve continued to look for ways ULI can support the longer-term needs of Haiti. To that end, the ULI Foundation recently made a generous donation to Meds and Food for Kids, a US-based non-profit established in 2003 with the mission to prevent and treat malnutrition in Haiti through the local production and distribution of a nutritious food for children.

Rendering of proposed MFK factory for food productionThe organization and its current initiative to build a new, dedicated manufacturing facility has several appealing characteristics: The initiative is a building project—a new factory in Cap Haitien (see rendering at right) —but is complemented by an existing program that works with farmers to grow and harvest the raw materials, trains workers to make and distribute the products, and works with allied organizations to coordinate medical services beyond nutrition. The group’s founder, Dr. Patricia Wolff, has been involved in Haiti since 1988 and has integrated the organization into Haiti’s economy and its NGO network. I met with Dr. Wolff personally and was very impressed with her dedication and track record in addressing the critical needs of this community.

The new factory will increase production capacity tenfold, to 800 metric tons annually, with a proportional increase in the number of children served. It will also be developed and operated consistent with World Health Organization standards for food manufacturing, safety, and quality. This is rare in Haiti and will build the productive capacity for the local economy.

Here’s the text of a grateful email I received recently from Dr. Wolff:

Dear Patrick,

The Urban Land Institute's gift just arrived in the MFK mailbox. Wow! Thank you so much. This puts us almost at the $2 million point where further gifts will be triggered, thus multiplying your gift. We are deeply grateful to you and your board and David Mayhood for believing with us that Haiti's poorest children not only deserve to live and have a chance for a future, but we should be trying to help create that future by developing excellence in food manufacturing and improving agriculture, which employs and trains local people and improves the local economy.

Thank you for partnering with us in our mission. We can only do it with many, many helping hands.

With Deep Gratitude,

Pat
--
Patricia B. Wolff, M.D.
Executive Director
Meds & Food for Kids

This gift was made possible through the generous contributions of members to the ULI Foundation, and I thank all of you on behalf of ULI and MFK.

More Background About Meds and Food For Kids (from the MFK web site)

Malnutrition in Haiti is the result of a combination of factors, most of which are not addressed by rescue operations and handouts. While the needs are great, a permanent, sustainable solution for Haiti is within reach. MFK’s four-pronged plan not only saves lives, but puts Haiti on the path to a stronger future.

Meds and Food for Kids’ approach is to use local labor and local resources to manufacture “ready-to-use therapeutic food” (RUTF), a treatment for malnutrition, which in turn develops the local economy.

MFK’s current factory can’t keep up with the demand for RUTF. A larger, more efficient Meds & Food for Kids factory will not only save more lives through increased production, but will have a deeper impact on the country’s economy, by employing and training more Haitian workers and using more Haitian raw materials.

MFK has been instrumental in educating Haiti’s healthcare providers, and the Haitian Government, about the virtues of RUTF. Thanks in large part to MFK’s efforts, Haiti’s Ministry of Health formally adopted RUTF into its national protocols for the treatment of childhood malnutrition, a prerequisite to offering all of Haiti’s malnourished children the life-saving therapy they need and deserve.