Meds & Food for Kids (MFK), based in St. Louis, Missouri, is an American charity working to cure child malnutrition in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In a country where many people on less than $1 per day and 13-21% of the children are malnourished, MLK’s goal is ensure that children remain well-nourished and healthy through their toddler years (”Alive at Five”), giving them a chance for normal growth into adulthood.

MFK supplies Medika Mamba (’peanut butter medicine’), an energy dense peanut butter, significantly fortified with protein and nutritional supplements.It needs no cooking or preparation (no fuel is needed), and doesn’t spoil. In 6 to 8 weeks, the Medika Mamba can bring great results in restoring height, weight, hair growth, and energy in young kids.

Medika Mamba is also produced locally in Haiti, providing jobs for Haitians and markets for peanut farmers in Haiti. Peanut farmers are taught best practices to decrease aflatoxin. Ingredients include peanuts, powdered milk, sugar, oil, vitamins and minerals.

The current factory in Haiti employs 18 people, and 6,000 to 8,000 children are expected to be treated over two years. Medika Mamba has the potential to treat all the 160,000 malnourished Haitian children.

It takes an average of 15 kg to cure a child, which at $4.25/kg, amounts to $68 to save a child’s life using Medika Mamba.

In Haiti, 129 of every 1,000 children will die before their fifth birthday … compared to 8 per 1,000 children in the USA.

Information on donations volunteering in Haiti or St. Louis, fundraising and their activities is available on the Meds & Food for Kids website.