Browse this page for selected examples of the Micronutrient Initiative's innovative, cost-effective approaches to helping ensure universal access to essential vitamins and minerals, with an emphasis on reaching the most vulnerable and difficult to reach people.

Reaching children in emergencies with lifesaving vitamin A in Afghanistan
July 29, 2010
	In April 2010, thousands of volunteers spread out across Afghanistan to give children a better chance at life. They delivered millions of life-saving vitamin A supplements to help reduce child deaths in a country with one of the highest child mortality rates in the world. In mid-October these volunteers will go out again as part of an essential Canadian-supported child health initiative in an effort to give Afghan children a better chance at life. Read more...

Working toward a Sustainable Vitamin A Program in Senegal
July 15, 2010
	Senegal has achieved close to universal coverage of vitamin A supplementation, reaching more than 90 per cent of children under the age of five with two doses annually. This, along with other health and nutrition interventions, is helping the country meet the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty and reduce child mortality. Read more...

Zinc pilot program in Guatemala ready for scale up
June 21, 2010
	Annually, up to 1.5 million children die of diarrhoeal disease. While the use of ORS to treat diarrhoea has been used for decades now, recent studies have shown that adding a 10-day course of zinc supplements can not only help children recover faster, it can even save their lives. Read more...

Using zinc to save children´s lives in an emergency setting in India
June 17, 2010
	Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of child deaths around the world and children caught in emergencies are even more vulnerable to the disease, with access to clean drinking water scarce, potentially unsanitary conditions and reduced access to health care services. Read more...

Working with Afghanistan government to produce high-quality iodized salt locally
May 19, 2010
	Afghanistan has one of the highest iodine deficiency rates in the world but improved processing capacity in the country could help eliminate the country´s iodine deficiency disorders quickly. Read more...

Successful vitamin A campaign in Kenya increases coverage
March 17, 2010
	This video chronicles the Kenyan Ministry of Health and Public Sanitation´s massive one-week vaccination and supplementation campaign in late September. The campaign targeted 1.3 million children who had not been vaccinated against measles since 2006 and was supported by the Micronutrient Initiative and other agencies. Read more...

Female Community Health Volunteers Essential to Success of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation Program
March 8, 2010
	One of Durga Kumari´s biggest responsibilities is the distribution of iron and folic acid tablets to pregnant women under her care and she, along with thousands of volunteers like her, is responsible for the incredible success of the Iron Intensification Program. MI has worked on the program since its inception in 2003, supporting the training of the volunteers, providing education materials, and conducting periodic evaluation studies. We also support the strong monitoring system that the women use to track the micronutrient intake of pregnant women, including IFA tablets, iodized salt and postpartum vitamin A supplementation. Read more...

Working with small-scale salt producers in Senegal to iodize salt
March 8, 2010
	Dibocor Sall is a small-scale salt harvester in the village of Farabougou in the Kaolack region of Senegal. The salt he harvests is sold in markets throughout Senegal, at prices lower than the salt from large companies. But there´s something missing in Dibocor´s salt – an adequate amount of iodine, essential to a child´s brain development. Dibocor needs a new way to iodize his salt and the Micronutrient Initiative, harnessing the strength of its partners, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and Senegal´s Cellule de lutte contre la malnutrition, may have the solution – a sustainable solution for all of Senegal´s small producers. Read more...

A salt producer from Ghana eliminates iodine deficiency one bag a time
March 8, 2010
	From the corner of his expansive salt fields, overlooking three piles of pink-colored salt, Ernest Osei wonders how he´s going to move his iodization machine. “A restaurant owner came a couple of days ago to buy this salt – he said it would look great on steaks and needed it quick.” The machine sat across a stream, ready to get working. “I´ve gotten used to the iodization process, and now I won´t let a bag out of here without it. It´s part of us.”. Read more...