Reducing Malnutrition in Haiti

Tackling malnutrition required addressing two key issues; immediate treatment of under nourished children, and education and financial resources to prevent relapse and establish families for future success. It is a proven fact that having access to a reliable income to purchase the ingredients that make a nutritious diet is crucial to preventing malnutrition. Using Second Mile Haiti’s holistic in-patient malnutrition treatment program, Caregivers (98% of whom are women) stay at the facility to contribute towards their malnourished child’s recovery. They participate in educational classes on nutrition, health, and wellness that will help to prevent malnutrition, as well as classes on literacy, numeracy, and business principles. Upon successful completion of their classes and their child’s continued weight gain beneficiaries are eligible to receive a business package to support income-generation through commerce.

Using this holistic rehabilitation model and access to business generation packages, 407 of the Caregivers who completed Second Mile’s Treatment Center program have started small commerce-based businesses. Only 1.2% of these Caregivers have experienced the relapse of one of their children , indicating the effectiveness of an income-generating business.