Porridge is staving off child malnutrition in Madagascar - for nine cents a bowl

A Malagasy business has been developing the porridge, prepared daily by local vendors, to avoid the irreversible cognitive and physical damage that malnutrition causes during the first 1,000 days of a child's life.

Six days a week, Tantely walks the streets carrying two five-kilogram thermoses of porridge. Tantely hands out portions in exchange for 500 ariary, or about 9 euro cents. “My job is to mix all the ingredients: peanuts, maize, rice, soy, sugar, minerals, calcium, vitamins and iron,” says Tantely. It takes about 45 minutes to cook.

For many of her customers, this is the only nutritious meal they will eat all day.

Changing the eating habits of these communities, however, wasn't easy. It took at least five years for sellers like Tantely to convince families to switch from their traditional rice soup to Koba Aina ("flour of life" = porridge). Through persistent awareness-raising, Tantley was able to break down misconceptions about the supposed nutritional benefits of rice soup. Now, some 42,000 children in Malagasy cities eat Koba Aina every day.

Nutri’Zaza, which has been distributing Koba Aina since 2013, says the flour addresses a critical public health issue. Founded to build on child nutrition projects, Nutri’Zaza reinvests profits to sustain its mission. The company also collaborates with NGOs and government agencies across Madagascar. Nutri’Zaza hopes that by making its porridge widely available at an affordable price, stunted growth among children in Madagascar’s cities will be dramatically reduced, breaking the cycle of poverty that malnutrition perpetuates.