Big News!  Our work to nourish orphaned children expands into new countries!

We are thrilled to announce that SPOON has recently been awarded a multi-year grant to expand our programming around the world, beginning with China, Vietnam, and Mexico in the next year.

Soon our growing team will travel to China, Vietnam, and Mexico to begin the important process of assessing the greatest feeding and nutrition needs in orphanages throughout these countries. We will then work to develop a series of culturally-sensitive training tools to help caregivers better understand and meet the most critical feeding and nutrition needs of young orphaned children, (for example, the importance of face-to-face feeding for healthy brain and emotional development; taking accurate growth measures to identify and treat high-risk children; when and how to wean from formula, feeding children with special needs).  These breakthrough training tools will be distributed through a new global website that SPOON has been tasked to create, as well as through in-person trainings throughout our focus countries. Results will be used to advocate for systemic change in orphanages that will protect countless little lives.

The grant came to us through Joint Council on International Children’s Services (our partners on AdoptionNutrition.org), who were recently selected by the Mead Johnson Nutrition Foundation to administer “A Child’s Best Start” – the company’s social responsibility program aimed at improving nutrition for children living without permanent parental care. This program is designed to reach numerous countries worldwide, and we are humbled by the chance to help so many deserving children living without families to call their own.

We are deeply grateful to our colleagues at Joint Council for their deep understanding and appreciation of our work, and to you – our SPOON community – for continuing to help us build the foundation we need to make this growth possible.

Warmly,

Cindy and Mishelle
SPOON Co-Founders

Photos curiosity of Joint Council’s recent tour of Chinese orphanages where we will soon be working.