Fortifying flour and harnessing hope

How much do you know about “hidden hunger”?

Did you know that two billion people suffer from this silent crisis globally, leading to 8000 preventable child deaths daily?

Nearly twenty years ago, Felix Brooks-Church had his first encounter with hidden hunger when he was working with children in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. At its core, hidden hunger is a global malnutrition crisis. Whilst many people across the world might have access to flour or a starchy staple to fill their bellies, these staples often lack the vital nutrients needed to build strong immune systems, to have healthy pregnancies and avoid other serious health issues.

Today, Felix is the Co-Founder and CEO of Sanku, an East African social-enterprise that enables local flour mills to produce fortified flour (or flour that has been “fortified” with lifesaving nutrients). While counties in the Global North already enjoy fortified foods like cereal, milk, and salt, two billion people worldwide lack this basic human right.

As at 2024, Sanku is now working with 1200 millers across Tanzania and Kenya in the hardest to reach places. With smart “Dosifier” machines that precisely add essential nutrients into flour, and through bulk manufacturing that keeps nutrient premix costs low, Sanku makes it possible for communities to access lifesaving nutrients without any added cost. Sanku reaches approximately 10 million people with healthier meals each day.

To learn more, tune in to hear #Philanthropod host, Anubha Rawat, in conversation with Felix. Anubha and Felix chat about global malnutrition, life-saving technology that provides data in real time, economies of scale, behavioural change and the importance of aligning development interventions to Government policy agendas. They also discuss what “sustainability” means for Sanku as it continues to scale - navigating a balance between philanthropic support and a market based revenue stream.

For their pioneering work, Sanku has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, a GiveWell Standout Charity, and won the Zayed Sustainability Prize, the Elevate Prize, the Lipman Family Prize, as well as the Rolex Awards for Enterprise. Sanku’s award-winning Dosifier technology was also selected by Time Magazine as an Invention of the Year in 2019.

To find out more about Sanku, visit their website https://projecthealthychildren.org/

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