On Helen Keller’s Birthday,
Helen Keller International Spearheads
Flour Fortification in Guinea
Conakry, Guinea,
July 13, 2005 – Helen
Keller International (HKI) has
provided four tons of premix
to the Great Mills of Guinea
(GMG) in support of a program
to fortify wheat flour. This
program addresses public health
problems facing the Guinean population
as a result of micronutrient
deficiencies. HKI’s
partner, the Micronutrient Initiative,
a nonprofit organization specializing
in addressing micronutrient malnutrition,
funded the purchase of the premix,
which is a concentrated powder
of folic acid, iron, niacin,
and vitamins B1 and B2. Together
with HKI, the Micronutrient Initiative
provided technical assistance
to the government and flour industry.
Micronutrient deficiencies, including
deficiencies in iodine, iron, and
vitamin A, can result in increased
maternal and child mortality, impaired
cognitive and immune system development,
and blindness. According
to the National Anemia Survey conducted
in 2000, 79% of children under
the age of five, 47% of adolescents,
more than 50% of women of childbearing
age, and 63% of pregnant women
suffer from iron-deficiency anemia. The
prevalence of vitamin A deficiency
in the country is 25%. Food
fortification is a cost-effective
and long-term means to improve
the micronutrient status of the
population.
On what would have been Helen
Keller’s 125th birthday,
HKI presented the premix to the
GMG at a ceremony attended by representatives
from the Departments of Public
Health and Commerce. Dr.
Mamma Camara, management representative
for the GMG, declared, “From
now on, the Great Mills of Guinea
will [enable] Guineans...to improve
their health [by simply consuming
foods containing] fortified flour,
rich in iron and vitamins.”
For Dr. Gil Cusack, HKI Country
Director for Guinea, Helen Keller’s
birthday served as an appropriate
occasion to reaffirm the agency’s
commitment to nutrition. To
honor all those who combat micronutrient
deficiencies and blindness, Dr.
Cusack quoted Helen Keller herself,
saying “If we make up our
minds to do something great, we
can accomplish it.”
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