Project to Save the Lives of Malnourished Children Voted Top 5 in American Express Members Project

International Medical Corps (IMC) has been voted into the Top 5 as part of the American Express Members Project. After more than 87,000 votes, the project, “Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children,” now enters the final round of voting, which ends October 13. Card members will be able to cast their votes a second and final time to decide how the $2.5 million in funding is divided among the five finalists. The project with the most votes receives $1.5 million; the second-place finisher receives $500,000; third place, $300,000; and fourth and fifth place, $100,000.

“While my children go to bed with full stomachs each night, it is deeply troubling to consider that 5 million children younger than five die each year because they do not have the nutrients their little bodies need to survive,” says Paige Strackman, of Brooklyn, N.Y., who submitted the project to American Express. “We can solve this problem with nutrient-rich, ready-to-eat food. The number of votes during this round determines how many lives will be saved. Every vote makes a difference.”

Hunger and malnutrition kill more people in the world than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. As food prices rise, millions are being driven deeper into poverty everyday while trying to afford basic staples. Many are at risk of having nothing to eat at all.

“International Medical Corps is deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with Paige on a project that she feels so passionately about,” said Rebecca Milner, Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “We also thank all those who rallied behind this cause to support our life-saving work. Their continued support is going to be critical as we vie for the top Members Project prize.”

Through nutrition programs that provide relief while creating sustainable solutions, International Medical Corps brings nutrition-rich, ready-to-eat food to some of world’s most food-insecure environments, including Ethiopia, Somalia, Chad, and Sudan. With a mission that focuses on training, International Medical Corps works to empower individuals and communities, providing education on how to treat malnutrition, identify warnings signs, and intervene before malnutrition worsens.

Contacts: For Press Inquiries, Stephanie Bowen. Communications Manager. International Medical Corps, 1919 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 400, Santa Monica, CA 90404. 310-826-7800. sbowen@imcworldwide.org