ENRICH News January 2018

Malnutrition is the underlying cause of almost half (45%) of child deaths annually, and stunted growth among a further 155 million children under the age of five (UNICEF / WHO / World Bank Group, 2017). Micronutrient deficiencies—especially iron and vitamin A—increase the risk of stunted growth, cognitive delays, weak-ened immunity among young children, and the risk of delivering infants with low birth weight or even death among pregnant women.

The overall goal of the ENRICH program is to reduce deaths of mothers and children in some of the most vulnerable regions of five countries. Simple and cost-effective solutions are being implemented to improve health out-comes within the first 1,000 days of a child’s life. This first 1,000 days between conception and a child’s second birthday is the brain’s window of opportunity; a unique period where critical development pathways are formed. Addressing poor nutrition and health early reduces risk of diminished survival, poor health status, impaired learning capacity and productivity.

ENRICH, funded by Global Affairs Canada, is implemented by World Vision Canada (WVC) and Nutrition International, with WVC as the consortium lead. It is implemented in partner-ship with HarvestPlus, The Canadian Society for International Health and the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

This is a quarterly newsletter of the ENRICH Programme.

Learn More About ENRICH: https://www.wvi.org/article/enrich-programme