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I am excited to announce that Wellbeing Foundation Africa is partnering with U.S.-based company Fortify to address iron deficiency: the major underlying cause of maternal deaths during childbirth in developing countries.
I started working on improving iron deficiency in Nigeria in 2014 with a programme called Green Food Steps. I worked with Unilever’s biggest brand Knorr to educate women and daughters to practice new, nutritious cooking habits.
But when I met the Fortify team to talk about a partnership last year, I was struck by how elegant yet practical a solution they have for iron deficiency anemia: they help add iron to ingredients that make up everyday meals—such as tomato paste. Tomato paste is already built into the food supply, it’s a big part of the meals every African eats; that’s why they’ve worked to produce 20 million sachets of iron-fortified tomato paste varieties in Nigeria monthly.
Implementing more iron in our food staples is not just a compassionate move to improve maternal health: it’s economically beneficial, too. According to the World Health Organization, timely treatment of iron deficiency anemia can ultimately raise national productivity levels by as much as 20%.
That’s why I’m so excited to engage First Ladies and women leaders—because of the impact they bring to women, families and communities in improving maternal health outcomes—but also policymakers across Africa to accelerate efforts to eradicate iron deficiency.
Read more on Wellbeing Africa.
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