Los Angeles, Calif. -International Medical Corps (IMC) has been awarded $100,000 through the American Express Members Project. The grant will be used to treat malnourished children worldwide. IMC is one of five organizations to receive funding in the nationwide campaign where American Express Card members submit and vote for projects that are meant to bring people and organizations together for positive change.
The funding will be used to implement the project, 'Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children.' Submitted by American Express cardmember Paige Strackman, the project focuses on treating malnutrition through nutrient-rich, ready-to-eat food, which International Medical Corps provides to more than 35,000 children every month through a network of 215 supplementary and therapeutic feeding sites in some of the world's most food-insecure environments, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia. The project was selected by an elite panel out of 1,190 others and received more than 14,000 votes in the final round of competition.
"I submitted this project because, as a mother, I cannot ignore that five million children under five die every year due to malnutrition," says Paige. "This funding will save thousands of malnourished children around the world who otherwise may not have been reached. I am so grateful to everyone who supported this project and helped make it a reality."
While the project was submitted by one individual hoping to make a difference, it gathered public momentum. The project's message was shared in the media from Los Angeles to New York, on nearly 200 blogs across the Internet, through thousands of emails and on social networking sites, including Facebook, My Space and Twitter.
The grant from American Express comes at an opportune time when rising food costs are driving millions deeper into poverty everyday while trying to afford basic staples. As a result, hunger and malnutrition kill more people each year than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
IMC Headquarters
1919 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 400, Santa Monica, CA 90404
T. 310.826.7800 F. 310.442.6622
Press Contact
Stephanie Bowen
sbowen@imcworldwide.org
310-826-7800