Folic Acid: Preventing Neural Tube Birth Defects

Challenge: Folic acid deficiency can lead to neural tube birth defects and anemia.

Solutions: MI supported projects to fortify cereal flours with folic acid as well as developing and scaling-up innovative interventions that help adolescent girls and women of child-bearing age. For example, iron and folic acid supplements were distributed to pregnant women through community health volunteers in Nepal and in Bangladesh they were socially marketed to adolescent girls through community workers. MI also led national folic acid advocacy efforts in India .