Dear Friends and Partners,
This month we celebrate The Power of Nutrition’s fifth birthday. Looking back over the past five years, it has been a thrilling journey which took us from ‘start-up’ phase to where we are today – an influential Foundation transforming the funding of global nutrition issues.
Through our co-investments, we have already enabled over 38 million mothers and children in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia to access vital nutrition services including iron and folic acid supplementation for pregnant women, Vitamin A supplementation for children, the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, and the innovative use of mobile technology for behaviour change interventions. We have secured over $280 million dollars of funding commitments, which leveraged a total portfolio of 14 programmes across 12 countries just shy of $500 million. However, we believe we’re just getting started.
Our accomplishments are testament to the support of our incredible partners
To date, we have convened over 20 strategic partnerships across the private and public sector. We’d like to thank our founding partners, DFID, CIFF, UBS Optimus Foundation, World Bank and Unicef, for believing in our mission from the start. Five years on, we are proud to have grown this list and enjoy the support of new partners from the private sector, foundations, governments, INGOs and high net-worth individuals, who all share their unique expertise and experiences to maximise the impact of our programmes.
In the past five years, we have evolved but our mission stays the same
We are resolute in our focus on breaking the cycle of undernutrition and enabling children to reach their full potential. The emergence of a global pandemic has naturally called for changes to how we navigate our path ahead, but we approach it with optimism. With a robust pipeline of programmes and an expanding network of partners, we are strengthening our model to make our investments go further to improve the lives of more mothers and children around the world.
Strong partnerships can achieve far more to improve nutrition and transform children’s futures than any organisation can do alone
The Nutrition for Growth Summit Milestone event is now confirmed to have moved to December 2021. Ahead of the meeting, we continue to advocate for increased and diverse funding for nutrition, because investing in nutrition changes lives and enables growth, development and greater prosperity for all. Strong partnerships – made up of diverse organisations – can achieve far more to improve nutrition and transform children’s futures than any organisation can do alone. We will continue to forge new partnerships as we scale our programming, and welcome conversations with all groups who are committed to transforming how we tackle undernutrition.
The five year milestone also reflects a point of change in our organisation
In September, we will bid farewell to our CEO, Martin Short, who has led The Power of Nutrition since its inception and provided a solid basis for its achievements so far.
“I am honoured to have had the opportunity to lead The Power of Nutrition for the past five years, navigating the complexities and opportunities that partnerships bring to nutrition financing to effect great change. It has been a tremendous journey and one that I am very proud to have played a part in, with an amazing team and visionary partners. With an exciting pipeline of investments and new partnerships, I have no doubt that The Power of Nutrition will continue to astonish and challenge convention on its pioneering trajectory.” – Martin Short, CEO, The Power of Nutrition
Our Board have already engaged SRI Executive to undertake the search for the new Chief Executive.
“The board is proud of the work our small, dedicated team at The Power of Nutrition is doing to transform the life chances of so many vulnerable people in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Our programmes not only have a positive impact on the health and opportunities of individuals and families but also help unlock the potential of communities and nations. I salute Martin Short’s great work and thank him for his leadership in transforming The Power of Nutrition from an idea and a “start up” to a formidable platform that has already won respect internationally for its work and influence. 2021 is the “Year of Nutrition” and I’m confident that The Power of Nutrition will play a leadership role with growing confidence in this great cause.” – Mike Rann, Chairman, The Power of Nutrition
We are grateful for Martin’s guidance, leadership, commitment and vision, which have been crucial in taking us to where we are today and have set a strong foundation for this next phase of our journey as we advance towards the Nutrition for Growth Summit in 2021 and beyond.
Thank you for being part of our journey,
The Power of Nutrition Team
