A recent $50,000 grant from EPISCOPAL Relief and Development to the Hearth Nutrition Project in Leogane, Haiti, helps to fund a regional effort that addresses the serious problem of malnutrition in Haiti. Nearly 60 percent of all deaths of children under five in Haiti are directly related to malnutrition. For 42 percent of the children who reach age 5, their growth is stunted because of malnutrition.

The Hearth model involves the participation of mothers, families, and neighborhoods in rehabilitating malnourished children using local foods and skills learned within the community. The program includes growth monitoring, nutrition counseling, and nutritional supplements. Ultimately, the program encourages families to take action that will improve the overall health of the community for the long term.

The grant was given to the Children's Medical Missions of Haiti. CMMH is a non-profit organization formed in the Diocese of East Tennessee to support the work of the two largest medical facilities operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti—St. Vincent's Centre for Handicapped Children in Port-au-Prince, and Holy Cross Hospital in Leogane. Last year CMMH started the nutrition program based in the hospital at Leogane.