MANA: life saving nutrition

A six-week supply of MANA brings a malnourished toddler back from the edge. Usually, for good.

I first met Mark Moore and Bret Raymond the founders of the ‘non profit’ social enterprise; MANA (Mothers Administered Nutritive Aid) a ‘ready to use therapeutic food’ or RUTF for short, at a Spring 2009 private gathering of movers, shakers and power brokers in Washington, DC.

As Mark and Bret shared the story about their ‘life saving nutrition’ business idea with those in attendance, what struck me about them was their absolute focus on the mountain they where about to climb, and the unwavering belief they had in their ability to go from idea to reality in 24 months. This reality included; building factories to produce MANA in both the USA and Rwanda, overcoming potential ‘patent’ infringements with a French company, testing the efficacy of MANA out in the field, raising the necessary working capital required, the list goes on and on. You soon start realize just how much they’ve accomplished in a very short time.

Walking the talk

Today, MANA has established manufacturing facilities in Georgia, USA, and Rwanda.

Brett is now running the MANA operation in Rwanda, having recently relocated from the USA. He’s now living in the capital city Kigale together with his wife Johnna and there 3 young children.

A child dies every six seconds from malnutrition-related causes. It’s preventable. And it’s curable.

Every day, life saving 500 calorie packets of MANA, made from high energy peanuts, together with a special blend of milk powder, and micro-nutrients are coming off the productions lines in Georgia, USA and Rwanda. The lives of malnourished and starving children in ‘hunger’ hot spots are being saved.

MANA’s goal is that one day soon no child will die from severe acute malnutrition or its effects.

Millions of children who will die of severe acute malnutrition could be saved if each only had 6 weeks’ worth of MANA.  The total cost is less than $60 per child.  That’s it.  Is a child’s life worth $60?

A sample sachet of life saving MANA arrives in Sweden, 12 May, 2011

You can follow MANA on Twitter

Friend them on Facebook

And visit the MANA website for much more information http://mananutrition.org/