President Bill Clinton Visits Haiti Nutrition Facility Built by Abbott, Abbott Fund, Partners In Health

President Praises Lifesaving Product, Impact on Economic and Agricultural Development
Mar 21, 2013 10:00 AM ET

Sustainable Progress in Haiti: A New Kind of Partnership

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation, toured the new 18,000-square-foot Nourimanba nutrition facility in Haiti built by Abbott and the Abbott Fund for the nonprofit organization Partners In Health (PIH)

"I want to thank Abbott and the Abbott Fund for the nutrition facility that we just toured, which will produce Nourimanba, a therapeutic food to treat severe malnutrition, at very high standards of quality," said President Bill Clinton. "This is going to make a big difference."

To see more of President Clinton's tour of the facility, visit www.partnershipinhaiti.org.

The President was in Haiti with an agricultural investment delegation to visit sites highlighting Haiti’s agricultural sector. Located in Haiti's Central Plateau, the new PIH facility highlights the connection between local production and local agriculture. The facility will source peanuts from local farms to produce Nourimanba, a therapeutic food to treat severe malnutrition. Distributed for free through PIH’s network of health facilities, Nourimanba provides life-saving treatment to thousands of Haitian children.

More than 50 Abbott experts in science, manufacturing, engineering, marketing and many other areas oversaw the design and construction of the facility, developed and refined product formulations and created strategic operating plans. PIH’s expertise in health care and agriculture, and a deep understanding of Haitian communities, ensures the partnership meets local needs.

Expanding economic and agricultural development is a key focus of the partnership. Through the facility, PIH will produce food products locally, providing an example of how to encourage local production to reduce Haiti’s reliance on imported foods. Local staff will manage operations, and PIH and Abbott will provide extensive training to transfer skills and build local capacity.

In addition, the partnership is supporting a pilot agricultural program for area farmers, implemented with TechnoServe and PIH’s local partner organizations, Zanmi Lasante and Zanmi Agrikol. The program offers training, financing and support for 400 local farmers to provide a reliable source of high quality peanuts for the facility, while boosting farmer incomes. 

To find out more about the partnership in Haiti – including videos, interviews and more – click here.