Major funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), University of Manitoba (U of M) and Canadian Food Grains Bank (CFGB) creates new maternal and child health programs focused on nutrition

U of M TO DELIVER INNOVATIVE GRASS-ROOTS NUTRITION PROGRAM IN KENYA

 Every year around the world hundreds of thousands of women die during pregnancy or childbirth and more than 7.6 million children die before reaching the age of five.  Many of these deaths can be prevented by proven and cost-effective nutritional support.

A new $2.2M program developed by the Centre of Global Public Health (CGPH) in the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Medicine will create and deliver maternal, newborn and child health nutritional programs for vulnerable families in Kenya by empowering local women to deliver programming in their communities.  This project, funded by CIDA, CFGB and the UofM brings together student researchers, international health experts, and non-government organizations to reduce the number of preventable maternal and child deaths.

The $1.78M in CIDA funding is part of the Muskoka Initiative Partnership Program for maternal, newborn and child health.  This $75M program was championed by Canada at the 2010 Muskoka G8 Summit, created to strengthen and address issues in health service delivery, nutrition, and leading diseases that are killing mothers and their children around the world.