pharma

Abbott Backs Effort To End Childhood Malnutrition

Haitian-Children

Abbott is joining with Partners In Health to fund a program to combat severe childhood malnutrition in Haiti.

The partnership, which also includes the Abbott Fund (the company's philanthropic foundation), will support the building of a new production facility for locally sourced nutrition products.

The initiative also aims to empower local communities by creating local markets, supporting local farms and promoting economic development. The total value of this multi-year initiative is estimated at more than $6.5 million, including contributions from Abbott and the Abbott Fund, and the estimated value of ongoing expert consulting provided by Abbott employees.

The Abbott Fund is active in communities around the world where the Abbott Park, Ill.-based pharma company has a significant presence. The organization pursues local partnerships and creative programs that address unmet needs of a community. Emphasis is placed on improving access to health care and promoting science education. Abbott Fund also supports HIV programs in the poorest countries of the world hardest hit by this disease.

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The new initiative in Haiti also builds on Abbott's existing philanthropic partnerships to expand access to health care in Haiti. Since 2007, Abbott and the Abbott Fund have provided more than $48 million in grants and product donations to help address health needs in Haiti, including maternal and child health, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition. In addition, Abbott and the Abbott Fund provided more than $6 million to support relief efforts following the devastating earthquake in January 2010. Abbott also has provided grant funding and donations through trusted humanitarian partners to help address the cholera outbreak in central Haiti.

Going beyond traditional philanthropy, the PIH-Abbott partnership combines the unique expertise and resources of a non-profit organization and a for-profit business to empower local communities.

"Severe childhood malnutrition is a complex problem in Haiti that demands innovative, local solutions," said Katherine Pickus, vice president, the Abbott Fund, and divisional vice president, global citizenship and policy, Abbott, in a release.

The new initiative in Haiti is an extension of an ongoing partnership between PIH, Abbott and the Abbott Fund to expand access to health care in developing countries. Projects are addressing critical community needs in Haiti and countries in Africa, including establishing a women's health clinic in Lascahobas, Haiti, and building a rural hospital in Lisungwi, Malawi.

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