Combating Malnutrition in vulnerable populations

This project started in second quarter of 2022 when we went to Uganda to assess the a project focused on combating malnutrition, primarily in children, in the Kabarole district. With our team on the ground we registered the Spirulina Development Institute (SDI) as a community based organization for the region to develop a farm to grow the blue-green algae that is becoming more widely known for its complete nutritional profile and the potential for it to help eradicate malnutrition and help more people in vulnerable places thrive.

Over the past few months, we have worked together to fundraise and begin construction of the infrastructure. To date we have:

1. Built a community Board and outlined necessary positions for success with people in place for when we have established the farm
2. Cleared and built a road to the site
3. Cleared and leveled the land
4. Constructed one pond of 7meters x 15meters of cement with a liner
5. Constructed a three room building to house an office, a place for the guard sleep and a tool room
6. Had the SDI Director visit  and train at a farm in Kenya
7. Obtained a starter culture to cultivate
8. Dug a well
9. Built a pit latrine
10. Hired a guard and farm staff
11. Built a small solar field and obtained the necessary tools and equipment to operate
12. Built a harvesting station that will service the pond

We have formalized the first 5 schools we will be working with. Our agreement with these schools will be formalized in the first quarter of 2023 and through our outreach will provide informational meetings with parents and interested community members in each of these locations. The spirulina will be administered through sanitary drinking stations that we will be constructing. We will provide trainings, information packets, nurse visits, surveys and manuals to the school.

We have established relationships with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education & Sports, so that as we build to capacity, we will partner with the government to meet goals outlined in the Uganda Nutritional Action Plan by 2025. We are partnering the Makerere University in Kampala to aid in nutritional testing of the spirulina and research and development for analyzing the data found by the SDI staff nurse.

In the states we have developed relationships with respected spirulina farmers that will continue to provide guidance and lead trainings and workshops at SDI. This will be instrumental in ensuring our product is meeting international standards.

• SDI_Uganda_Proposal.pdf (PDF)