BRA highlights progress against malnutrition in Dominican Republic at Clinton Global Initiative

New York.- The Batey Relief Alliance (BRA), a North American humanitarian organization, presented advances of its 2024 “commitment to action” during the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting, highlighting efforts to reduce maternal and child malnutrition in rural communities of the Dominican Republic and Peru. With an investment of over US$596,000, the program has directly benefited 54,000 children and 9,180 pregnant women, while indirectly impacting more than 290,000 people.

In its first year, BRA distributed over one million doses of micronutrients and antiparasitic medicines, trained 201 community health promoters, and delivered 40 tons of nutritious food along with 22.7 million liters of drinking water to families and schools in the Dominican Republic. A joint study with the University of Minnesota revealed alarming challenges in Monte Plata, where 77% of households face food insecurity and high rates of poor nutrition among women and children. Similar concerns were noted in Peru, where 42% of women of childbearing age suffer from anemia and nearly 20% of children under five show stunted growth.

Founded in 1997 by Ulrick Gaillard, BRA has improved the lives of more than 4.5 million people across the Caribbean and the Americas through clean water access, healthcare, nutrition, and women’s empowerment initiatives. The organization, a member of the CGI since 2011, partners with entities such as Vitamin Angels and Cáritas Cañete to strengthen its impact, reinforcing its mission that no child should suffer from preventable diseases or malnutrition.