Many women in low- and middle-income countries don’t receive adequate nutrition through diet alone during pregnancy. Research shows that in addition to posing a health risk for mothers, inadequate nutrition can lead to critical health problems for the infant. Each year, approximately 20 million babies are born underweight, and 15 million are born too soon. Yet, for far too long, women in LMICs have not had adequate access to quality nutritional supplements to better support them during their pregnancy.
Addressing this crisis head-on means placing a proven effective multiple micronutrient supplement — based on the formulation by the United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation — within reach of every woman, no matter where on the globe she lives.
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Kirk Humanitarian is a foundation — not a manufacturer — that works alongside governments, country partners, and leaders in global health to accelerate availability, access, uptake, and use of MMS. For nearly 20 years, we have witnessed the growing momentum to address maternal nutrition within the global health community through introduction and scale-up of MMS.
In the past year, we believe we have reached a critical moment when we must redouble our collective efforts to ensure our progress does not stall, or even worse, slip backward. As countries around the globe look to address emerging and ongoing health crises during the COVID-19 pandemic, our collective action on maternal nutrition is more important than ever. With many countries experiencing disruptions in their food systems, nutritious food is not easily accessible, and the risk of maternal undernutrition is high.
Use of UNIMMAP MMS as part of a comprehensive antenatal care program supports good health for pregnant women and significantly improves birth outcomes for their babies. What makes UNIMMAP MMS unique is that it uses the World Health Organization-UNICEF formulation that contains 15 essential micronutrients, making it more complete. It has consistently been proven more effective than just iron-folic acid — or IFA — supplements, which are the traditional standard of care for pregnant women in LMICs.
UNIMMAP MMS is safe, cost-effective, available at cost-parity with IFA from global suppliers. In addition, the Kirk Humanitarian product is United States Pharmacopeia-verified, which means it meets rigorous quality standards. Notably, compared with IFA alone, MMS reduces the risk of infant mortality by 29%, low birth weight by 19%, and small gestational age by 8% among anemic pregnant women.
We need you to join us and others to improve the health of women and children in LMICs.
—Today we announce the availability of a new UNIMMAP MMS product, which is now Halal-certified. This update in ingredients ensures that UNIMMAP MMS is acceptable for use by Muslim women.
Now, the question is: How do we get these critical supplements to the women who need and deserve them? The answer, while not simple, is certainly achievable.
When we combine volume-purchases and investment, consult with global leaders in maternal nutrition, and work collaboratively with the global health community, we can achieve something remarkable.
Kirk Humanitarian has made major investments to standardize and assure availability of a UNIMMAP MMS product that meets globally accepted quality standards, while lowering its cost. Our investments have enabled us to partner with governments and NGOs across the world to explore the introduction and use of UNIMMAP MMS. These efforts have connected millions of pregnant women in more than 80 countries with UNIMMAP MMS.
The Kirk Humanitarian story
Twenty years ago, my wife, Kristen, and I founded Kirk Humanitarian — the leading purchaser and donor of MMS — because we were inspired to reduce global inequity of maternal nutrition. During each of her four pregnancies, Kristen had access to the best quality prenatal vitamins and mineral supplements, and we were blessed with four healthy children who have grown into thriving young adults. It wasn’t pure luck, of course.
We know that our growing family was set up for success. The fact that many women and children are not so fortunate based on the random lottery of where they were born is an injustice that needs to be corrected. We share the Earth with billions of people who deserve the same opportunities — to learn, dream, and grow. That is why we chose to go all in on UNIMMAP MMS — because it is a simple and straightforward intervention that significantly improves maternal health and birth outcomes.
Building on this success, we are accelerating purchasing that will enable our partners to reach an additional 8.4 million pregnant women during the next 12 months. Production has already begun — in fact, 300,000 bottles have recently arrived in Indonesia to support implementation research led by local partners.
But there is more to be done.
Annually, there are more than 225 million pregnancies in LMICs alone. In each of the last five years, Kirk Humanitarian has procured increasing amounts of UNIMMAP MMS; in 2020, we enabled our partners to connect UNIMMAP MMS to 5.5 million pregnant women. We are proud of our efforts, but that amount represents just 2% of what is needed.
We need you to join us and others to improve the health of women and children in LMICs. The need is high, and the proof is clear. It is now up to all of us to ensure that access to UNIMMAP MMS becomes a reality for women worldwide by advocating for greater supply, research, investment, and implementation programming.
Visit KirkHumanitarian.org to join our growing movement to correct the inequity that has gone on far too long.
About the author
Spencer F. Kirk
Spencer F. Kirk is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and managing director of Kirk Humanitarian. He and his wife Kristen founded Kirk Humanitarian in 2002 with the mission of improving maternal health around the world. Kirk Humanitarian is the leading purchaser and donor of high-quality and safe multiple micronutrient supplements for low- and middle-income countries governments and NGO partners. Kirk co-founded Megahertz Corporation in 1985 and served as CEO at Extra Space Storage, Inc. from 2009 to 2016. He maintains his role as a director of the board at Extra Space Storage, Inc.
