Practical EA. Powdered milk for the hungry? (Cebu, Philippines)

Keen Visionary

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I did something similar in the Philippines a few years ago. After consulting my nutritionist friend, she recommended giving out peanut butter for its high nutritional value. You could also try ordering in bulk from local vendors for better quality ingredients, which is what I did. The local community is very strong, so it’s not difficult to find someone who makes peanut butter. I also believe rice is a good option, as people always need more.

I’m extremely skeptical about giving dairy powder in this context, mainly because of its contribution to animal suffering. Additionally, many Asians are lactose intolerant, and the environmental impact of dairy milk is significant.

Keen Visionary

10mo*

Hey Joan. After a year wrestling with this, I ended up working on a new solution.
Feedback welcome!
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/sqzbNGXbRMNhdnPGB/usd1-a-day-nutrition-exploring-an-ultra-low-cost-shelf-stable

Keen Visionary

I emailed WFP philippines, I'll see if I can source stuff from them (and/or other local NGO's). I think I'll keep Peanut butter on hand though, thank you :)

Ian Turner

I'm not completely clear on what your requirements are, but here are some ideas:

Have you considered giving cash rather than in-kind resources? Cash is more flexible to beneficiaries' needs.
If you are giving food, you probably want to consult with the WFP to see what they would do / are doing in the Philippines. They have thought about this quite a bit.
In terms of dollars per calorie, the best value is probably pulses and grains. Conveniently these are also healthy (but are not by themselves a complete diet). You will notice this is also the foundation of the WFP food basket.
I am skeptical that the best prices will be found online, especially in the Philippines. If you are buying in bulk then you can deal directly with manufacturers/wholesalers; if not local markets may offer a better value.
In particular, if the goal is to provide a complete balanced diet at the lowest possible cost, I doubt you will do better than groceries at the local market, even if you have to pay for food preparation.
If you are looking for a packaged shelf-stable food that provides complete nutrition, then you might consider some kind of packaged ration. For example the US government sells surplus humanitarian rations. Here are some for sale in bulk.

Keen Visionary

10mo

Hey Ian.
After a year wrestling with this (and thanks to your information!), I ended up working on a new solution.
Feedback welcome!
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/sqzbNGXbRMNhdnPGB/usd1-a-day-nutrition-exploring-an-ultra-low-cost-shelf-stable

Cheers!

Keen Visionary

Fantastic, thank you. And -I- probably am not clear on what the requirements are either :p

As I mention, I'm quite fond of givedirectly. The idea here is to see if it's not possible to do -better- than just giving cash (which I do as well).
(one of) My concern with direct cash is that we'll just get more of what we have now, just with less financial suffering.
I'm hoping to communicate love and care to the recipients, and teach them to -keep- that and pass it along to others.
I basically am trying to assess how much it would costs to change the underlying principles that society bases itself on. From a consumerist/capitalist perspective, to a Sharing/caring/loving community. The mechanisms can remain, but if we alter people's perceptions and values on a large scale, I feel we can help address not only most of EA's xmas wishlist, but that it would go a long way towards -preventing- new issues from coming up.
There are 700 million people in misery, I figured that may be a place to start.

2. Great! I knew -someone- had!

3. Yeah rice is the basic staple. They -will- eat rice if nothing else. I prefer to try and procure nutrients they are likely missing. I will check pulses.

4 I am skeptical as well, hence my post :)

5 yep, buying groceries locally and preparing meals. But I want to have supplies people can take home as well.

6 Yessss rations thank you!! I'll look into that, though i'm unsure how well-received it will be. Getting people to eat their vegetables is challenging :| (New foods/new tastes often just aren't practical, hence the milk)

thanks again!

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Keen Visionary

Fantastic, thank you. And -I- probably am not clear on what the requirements are either :p

As I mention, I'm quite fond of givedirectly. The idea here is to see if it's not possible to do -better- than just giving cash (which I do as well).
(one of) My concern with direct cash is that we'll just get more of what we have now, just with less financial suffering.
I'm hoping to communicate love and care to the recipients, and teach them to -keep- that and pass it along to others.
I basically am trying to assess how much it would costs to change the underlying principles that society bases itself on. From a consumerist/capitalist perspective, to a Sharing/caring/loving community. The mechanisms can remain, but if we alter people's perceptions and values on a large scale, I feel we can help address not only most of EA's xmas wishlist, but that it would go a long way towards -preventing- new issues from coming up.
There are 700 million people in misery, I figured that may be a place to start.

2. Great! I knew -someone- had!

3. Yeah rice is the basic staple. They -will- eat rice if nothing else. I prefer to try and procure nutrients they are likely missing. I will check pulses.

4 I am skeptical as well, hence my post :)

5 yep, buying groceries locally and preparing meals. But I want to have supplies people can take home as well.

thanks again!