Working remotely gave me some time to travel around the US this year. I didn’t expect my first face-to-face meeting in over a year to be in Utah, where I had the opportunity to meet Kirk Humanitarian’s founder, Spencer Kirk. Not only did Spencer introduce me to an important subject that was previously unknown to me, but he also inspired me with his humble generosity. He’s the perfect example of someone realizing the responsibility that comes with privilege and happiness, and using them to make truly positive changes in people’s lives.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many injustices in our global society, and not just in terms of access to vaccines. In low and middle income countries (LMICs), where access to food and health care has always been difficult and uneven, millions of people are suffering from malnutrition and related diseases as the pandemic disrupted supply chains and overwhelmed health systems. And for many pregnant women in LMICs, often marginalized in emergencies, the COVID-19 pandemic has really exacerbated an ongoing crisis.
For nearly twenty years, the Kirk family has led efforts to improve the lives of women and infants in LMICs with donations from United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Prenatal Preparation Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (UNIMMAP MMS), a nutritional supplement containing 15 vitamins and minerals that are crucial for pregnant women. UNIMMAP MMS is similar to the prenatal vitamins that most women in high-income countries take naturally during their pregnancy.
As I sat across from Spencer in his boardroom, he handed me a small bottle of UNIMMAP MMS with the Kirk Humanitarian logo on it. “It’s not for my ego,” said the philanthropist businessman, “I want my children to know our family’s values.”
“My wife and I have four healthy children,” he continued. “I attribute this – and my wife’s health through each of her pregnancies – primarily to geography. It is an injustice that tens of millions of women do not have access to quality care during pregnancy when a child is just developing. “
EL-GENEINA, SUDAN: A Sudanese mother holds her 12 day old baby on her lap while a nurse feeds it … [+]
AFP via Getty Images
What exactly is UNIMMAP MMS? During pregnancy, women require increased levels of certain vitamins and minerals to support their health and the development of their child – and diet alone can often not provide enough of these nutrients. This is especially true of LMICs and is exacerbated by the current pandemic and its impact on access to simple nutrition and diet. The consequences of not meeting these nutritional needs can be severe. Half a billion women of childbearing age and four in ten pregnant women worldwide have anemia, which is estimated to account for 20 percent of maternal mortality. In addition, anemia during pregnancy increases the risk of fetal death, premature birth, and low birth weight. Each year approximately 20 million babies are born underweight, 23 million are born too small, and 15 million are born prematurely.
If these children survive, the more likely they are to have decreased cognition and are physically stunted. They are also less likely to escape the cycle of poverty. To address these issues, Kirk Humanitarian supports the manufacture and distribution of the United Nations’ UNIMMAP MMS multi-micronutrient supplement formula, which has been shown to be very safe and effective in significantly improving childbirth outcomes.
Although UNIMMAP MMS has gained worldwide acceptance as an important part of prenatal care programs over the past two decades, many LMICs still supply iron folic acid (IFA), a less complete product. Compared to the 15 vitamins and minerals found in UNIMMAP MMS, IFA contains two vitamins and minerals – UNIMMAP MMS is a superior product that can be made at the same cost as IFA at just a cent per dose, which is the transition to makes an obvious choice.
Compared to IFA alone (Source: Kirk Humanitarian):
- The risk of infant mortality (aged 0-6 months) decreases by 29% if a mother with anemia takes MMS during pregnancy.
- MMS reduces the risk of stillborn babies by 8%. In anemic, pregnant women, the risk is reduced by 26%.
- MMS reduces the risk of having a child underweight by 12%. In anemic, pregnant women, the risk is reduced by 19%. In underweight women, the risk is reduced by 12%.
- MMS reduces the risk of premature birth by 8%. In pregnant, underweight women, the risk is reduced by 16%.
For the past nearly 20 years, Spencer has made it his mission to find a way to develop and distribute UNIMMAP MMS with little or no additional cost compared to IFA. He has spent tens of millions of dollars distributing UNIMMAP MMS through sister organizations in over 80 countries. It won’t rest until UNIMMAP MMS is the international standard in antenatal care. “How do you make something with 15 ingredients for the same price as something with 2 ingredients?” Spencer and his family found out.
“We’ve been able to cut costs because we’re spending our own money. I take care of every penny, ”he explained when I asked how he did it.
What can we do about MMS?
The challenge now is adoption, dissemination and financial support. Reaching 225 million pregnant mothers in over 80 countries is no easy task. If the maternal nutrition community is to achieve this ambitious goal, more advocacy, government intervention and donation are needed. 60M receive nothing as part of prenatal care. IFA will receive 140 million. It would cost about $ 500 million annually to meet global MMS needs. To do this, Kirk Humanitarian needs the help of more philanthropists. “$ 500 million a year would eliminate inequality between rich and poor. All women would get what they do in high income countries. “ said Kirk.
Kirk Humanitarian’s efforts underscore the important role philanthropy can play on a global scale. By investing his own money in the cause and working closely with experts and executives in the global nutrition field, Spencer has been able to reduce the cost of UNIMMAP MMS and is a real-life example of how philanthropists can get involved in important causes and achieve a tangible impact. I call on more philanthropic leaders to get involved and follow Spencer’s example to give while you live.
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/how-one-philanthropist-is-giving-while-living-to-end-infant-mortality/
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