Accordia Global Health Foundation is pleased to announce that its Institute for Child Wellness in Africa (TICWA) at the University of Malawi has been selected for an award from Unorthodox Philanthropy. The award will support a randomized control trial of a reformulated Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to ensure cognitive recovery for malnourished children.

RUTF revolutionized the treatment of severe acute malnutrition for children and has saved millions of lives over the past decade. While RUTF has been proven effective in improving children's physical recovery, the same investigators who were involved in the early development of RUTF have recently demonstrated that lipids in the current standard RUTF can actually lead to a reduction in the fatty acids necessary to revitalize neural tissue for brain development. These investigators now believe the existing RUTF formula – made from peanuts, palm oil, and milk powder – is not only inadequate to improve neurocognitive development in children but may actually compromise brain growth due to excessive omega 6 fatty acids. A pilot study has shown that with a slight adjustment in the formula, using newly available non-GMO high-oleic peanuts, RUTF can support physical growth and provide the fatty acids necessary for growth of brain cell structure. It is not enough for children to gain weight; their malnourished brains must recover as well. Should the results of the randomized controlled trial mirror the pilot study, it will change the worldwide model for how malnutrition is managed.

Unorthodox Philanthropy has committed to fund half of the total costs of the project, up to $960,000, once additional funding is secured. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a funding partner to help launch this critically needed randomized control trial, please contact us.

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