News Release:
May 24, 2007

Malnutrition Matters Project Winner of World Bank DM Competition

At a conference in Washington DC on May 23, the MM project 'Rural Micro-Enterprise in Orissa' was approved by the World Bank Development Marketplace. It was one of twenty-two winners announced out of more than 2,800 original submissions in the competition. MM Director, Hart Jansson, the primary developer of the proposal, represented it at the conference.

The project calls for 20 VitaGoat systems, as well as two field-trial fruit and vegetable dryers, to be deployed in rural villages, run by women's self-help groups (SHGs). 75% of the capital cost of the equipment is to be financed with 'mini-credit' from the micro-finance arm of BISWA, the local partner NGO in the proposal.

Soymilk produced with the VitaGoats, fortified by additional micro-nutrients, will provide daily nutrition supplementation to about 16,000 poor children in rural and village schools. The project will be developed over a two-year period. With some already-approved, but very modest government subsidy for the soymilk delivered (by bicycle) to the schools, the projects will be run by women's self help groups (SHG's) in micro-enterprises that will also provide employment and income to the workers.

The project is a major extension of the current pilot program in Orissa, India, supported by Child Haven International with funding by Donner Canadian Foundation. Ongoing corporate sponsorship of Malnutrition Matters is provided by Alpro N.V. of Belgium, and additional support is from WISHH (World Initiative for Soy in Human Health).

For more information on the World Bank Development Marketplace program:

http://www.worldbank.org/developmentmarketplace