About Us

Kirk Humanitarian is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to accelerate availability, access, uptake, and use of multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) for women at risk of undernutrition during pregnancy to create a healthier and more equitable world.

Our History

The Kirk family established Kirk Humanitarian in 2002 with the intent of reducing global inequity as a critical facet of maternal and infant health.

In high-income countries, women take the most comprehensive prenatal supplements during pregnancy – multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), which contain 15 vitamins and minerals. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however, women often only have access to a supplement containing just two vitamins and minerals: iron-folic acid (IFA). Together with other factors, this makes women in LMICs more likely to experience poor birth outcomes. Infants are more likely to die prematurely and those that survive infancy are more likely to experience poorer physical growth and poorer cognitive function.

Our Work

At Kirk Humanitarian, we help to address this inequity. We provide an initial supply of MMS to NGOs and governments in LMICs. We partner with manufacturers, develop guidance, and look for new opportunities to lower the cost of MMS and increase demand. We generate evidence to make the introduction and scaling of MMS programs effective and efficient. And we advocate for the adoption of MMS programs and policies.

Where We Supply MMS

We donate MMS to 80 countries around the world, helping governments transition from IFA to MMS programs.

Our Vision

A world where every mother receives the nutrition she needs, and every child is born healthy.

Our Mission

To support the nutrition, health, and well-being of women and babies by making MMS available, accessible, and more widely taken by pregnant women in LMICs.

Our Approach and Impact

We bring technical nutrition expertise and marketing and manufacturing experience to help catalyze and accelerate, availability and use of MMS in LMICs. We focus our work in four areas:

Providing Supply

We partner with global NGOs at the ready to distribute MMS on a large scale. We also support LMICs to sustainably transition from IFA to MMS by donating an initial supply of MMS.

Results

To date, our MMS tablets have reached millions of women in 80 countries. These tablets have averted up to 150,000 cases of maternal anemia, prevented over 100,000 low–weight births, and saved over 17,000 children’s lives, based on projected compliance.

Growing a Healthy Market

We work with manufacturers and partners to produce an immediate supply of MMS, drive down immediate manufacturing costs, develop technical specifications, and foster competition to further reduce costs.

Results

Over the years, in conjunction with our partner, Contract Pharmacal Corp (CPC), we have grown to be the largest supplier of MMS and have driven down the cost of MMS four-fold – making MMS available for the same cost as IFA.

With our partners, we have developed open-source guidance as a reference for MMS manufacturers – readying manufacturers to produce high–quality, low–cost MMS.

Driving Implementation Research

We support implementation research to generate operational knowledge and experience to inform MMS policy change and effective national and global scale up.

Results

We are supporting rigorous implementation research efforts to address barriers and help enable MMS coverage, acceptance, and adherence in LMIC settings.

Leading Advocacy

We work with partners worldwide to shape the global agenda to prioritize women’s nutrition and see more governments transition from IFA to MMS programs.

Results

We work with a range of global partners to champion MMS adoption by raising awareness about the opportunity MMS present in LMICs; integrating MMS into the agenda of scientific meetings; supporting international and national policy change; and assembling a network of strategic partners to engage NGOs and governments on MMS adoption.

Poor nutrition during pregnancy leads to higher rates of infection and complications that can be devastating to both mother and baby. It is clear that multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) help ensure women and children the brightest future possible. This is why MMS must become available and accessible to all women around the world.”

Robert Black, MD, Johns Hopkins University

Learn more about why MMS are such a powerful maternal and newborn health intervention.

Join us in growing the movement to put MMS in the hands of women everywhere.