Combating Malnutrition in vulnerable populations

First off, thank you for helping us get this project off the ground and partnering with our first five schools. Over the past three months we commenced allocated spirulina based on the number of grams per student per day to the first five partner schools. We are now reaching nearly 2000 students directly with this nutrient dense "superfood" to help combat and prevent malnutrition among nursery and primary age school children. A large part of our project here is to establish a clinical trial to showcase those results. In order to do so, we have hired an SDI nurse to monitor 10% of the students involved. She has developed a baseline prior to allocation and will be monitoring on a continual bi-monthly basis to track impact. 

We were able to begin allocation to schools once all necessary paperwork was filed to establish spirulina as a food product in Uganda, as BA and in therefore SDI, are the first to grow and distribute. We have also worked with the government to test the product and ensure safety and nutrient density prior to distribution. In February, our partnerships with the Ministry of Health and Makerere University were outlined in capacity and will grow as SDI develops. MOH will continue to advise and pave the pathway for expansion in collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister and our collective goals. Makerere University will work with SDI to test nutrient density and bio-availabiltiy of spirulina in various forms. This will aid us in making decisions in the future around utilizing spirulina to bio-fortify grains. All of this is an effort to best utilize the superfood to combat malnutrition for the worlds most vulnerable.

We finished the necessary infrastructure and health code requirements for the registration of spirulina. On top of that, we now have two fully operational ponds in production after installing food grade liners and coverings to ensure no contamination. 

The support from the school, community and regional government has been inspiring. Parents are coming to the schools to see how they can get more spirulina, claiming they can already see the beneficial impact. The calls have started to come in about how to partner. We are excited to continue our goal of an addtional four ponds this year to be able to reach more children, more schools and begin partnering with hospitals and refugee camps. The local government has gained more awareness on the project and therefore sent crew out to fix the road all the way to the farm.

The primary beneftis of this project is to help fight malnutrition in children, giving them a chance for an active, healthy, happy and productive life. Since we began, we have also been grateful to see the secondary benefits; more sanitary drinking stations in schools, a second well with a cleaner water source for the community in which we are building, employing over 20 people to help construct/operate/manage the farm and yes, getting an improved road to a community. 

Thank you for your support. Together we have accomplished a great deal. We still have a ways to go to showcase our pilot SDI as a roadmap for replication for combating the generational impacts of malnutrition. 

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