HKI - Helen Keller International

Published purpose

The project is designed to distribute an essential micronutrient, vitamin A, to those who are currently unreached and to scale-up the use of therapeutic zinc to treat diarrheal disease. Addressing vitamin and mineral deficiencies are critical for reducing child mortality and achieving the Millenium Development Goal (MDG) number four (which is to reduce child mortality), as well as for contributing to the other MDGs through reducing hunger, improving economic productivity and improving maternal health. Given the recent marked increase in food price volatility, fewer families are able to afford foods that are micronutrient-rich, likely leading to increased death and disability due to micronutrient deficiencies (such as vitamin A and zinc deficiency.) The project is also tracking the impact of these efforts in order to estimate the programmatic cost-effectiveness of this child health intervention.