… and these kids seem to agree!
Madagascar’s capital is shrouded in early morning mist as Berthine Razanamalala strides down the road, her sub-five-foot frame impressively graceful given the two huge buckets in her hands. In her left, a blue basket stacked with cups and spoons; in her right, an insulated tub filled with fresh, steaming porridge.
In her bright red vest, Malala – as everyone calls her – stands out amongst the others hawking vegetables, butchering meat, and selling toys in Faliarivo Ambanidia, a poorer neighborhood in Antananarivo. Her smile is unfading, set against a backdrop of cheery freckles and hair twisted into a frizzy braid. Most enviably for the other vendors, she has a constant stream of customers – albeit smaller-than-average ones.
Malala works for a social venture called Nutri’zaza ( “nutrition for children” in Malagasy). Every day, as a Nutri’zaza “animator”– a fitting title given the glee her arrival sparks – she distributes porridge fortified with 25 essential nutrients to around 150 of Antananarivo’s littlest residents.
Madagascar – an island known worldwide mostly for its lemurs and a certain eponymous movie – has been facing a malnutrition crisis for years. The fifth poorest country in the world, nearly 40% of Malagasy children under five are chronically malnourished. Severe droughts and floods prohibit many families from getting food for weeks on end.
The effects of childhood malnutrition are severe. From 6 to 23 months of age, babies’ brains grow to 75% of adult size and form over a million new neural connections every second. Malnutrition in this crucial period inhibits children’s ability to learn and work as they grow older, decreasing their future household incomes and in turn constraining national development. These children, according to UNICEF, will likely “carry the scars of poor diets for the rest of their lives.”
While the outlook might seem grim, Nutri’zaza believes there’s a path forward. A social enterprise that distributes porridge fortified with essential nutrients, Nutri’zaza sends animators like Malala door to door, selling the product for 10 cents a bowl.
Although many clients make only a few dollars a day, the 10 cent investment is an obvious choice. Nutty, sweet, and steaming, each bowl of porridge sets kids up for a strong, healthy life ahead. Nutri’zaza calls the porridge Koba Aina – in Malagasy, the “flour of life.” For some customers, Koba Aina is the only food they can afford to eat in a day.
As I shadowed Malala, I was struck by a thought: Nutri’zaza deserves no less than a Michelin Star (or three).
A pork noodle stand in Singapore earned a Michelin star. So did a crab omelet street food vendor in Bangkok. Why shouldn’t a fortified porridge distributor in Madagascar be just as eligible?
And when I looked up the criteria for Michelin Stars, my conviction only grew.
Michelin Stars are awarded based on five universal criteria:
quality of ingredients
chef’s personality
mastery of techniques
harmony of flavors
consistency
Let’s address those one by one.
Quality of Ingredients: Nutri’zaza’s fortified porridge is made of raw, high quality ingredients, including Malagasy red rice, corn, peanuts, and a dash of brown sugar. But the real magic of the ingredients is in the 25 essential vitamins and nutrients in each bowl of porridge: calcium, magnesium, iron, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and more. One bowl meets over 70% of each child’s daily nutritional needs.
Chef’s Personality: Many customers say their favorite part of the Koba Aina delivery is basking in the glow of Malala’s grin. “She’s very kind and she always smiles,” said a 60 year old customer, who emerged from her home in flowery pajamas. “I really like seeing her.”
Malala grew up a five hour drive south of Antananarivo but moved to the capital for better prospects. While working as a maid, she heard about Nutri’zaza and applied to be an animator. Despite dropping out of school around age 10, she was promptly hired for her infectious enthusiasm, joining 140 other animators across Madagascar, the vast majority of whom are women.
Malala’s day is long, and her work is not easy. She starts around 6 am and finishes her day as the sun sets. For her labor, Malala earns $1.50 per day, a salary that hovers around the national average wage. She says her income empowers her with financial independence.
“I would like to keep doing this for a long time,” she tells me, grinning.
Mastery of Techniques: There’s not too much to master in the preparation of Koba Aina – meaning Malala has mastered it all. In the morning, she prepares the porridge by mixing Nutri’zaza’s ingredients with clean boiled water. In the neighborhoods Malala serves, open sewers with murky sludge can breed malaria and carry poliovirus, often contaminating drinking sources. By buying Koba Aina, customers know they will never get sick.
Harmony of flavors: Malala sells Koba Aina to about 150 people a day – they can each vouch for the harmony of the flavors. “It’s sweet; it’s delicious,” a 19 year old customer told me, scooping up a spoonful as she sat hawking vegetables. The look on kids’ faces shows all the harmony any food critic could ask for.
Consistency: The Koba Aina is available every day. Same ingredients, same animator, same price. And this is for one main reason: Nutri’zaza is a social venture, not a charity. Founded in 2013 in partnership with the French non-profit GRET, Nutri’zaza has sold over 130 million bowls of porridge. Profits from one day of porridge sales are reinvested in providing porridge the next day, and the next, and the next.
“People think when it’s free, it has no value,” said Mandresy Randriamiharisoa, Managing Director of Nutri’zaza.
Although this business model doesn’t guarantee longevity, it offers some security; Nutri’zaza is not at the whims of overseas donors (especially not one that begins with U-S and ends with A-I-D). Nutri’zaza appreciates donations; they use the extra money to provide porridge to families who can’t afford the 10 cent fee and expand their operations to other regions of Madagascar.
This lifesaving porridge is always there, feeding around 16,000 children every day. In Malala’s neighborhood, it is heralded by her shouts of “Koba Aina!” as she navigates the alleys.
“Koba Aina!” she calls as she scales steps fashioned from sandbags. “Koba Aina!” she yells as she leaps over a grey open sewer. Doors burst open; toddlers teeter as they run up to her, hungry for breakfast.
And one final category…
Food Changing Lives: Okay, I know this isn’t one of Michelin’s official rules, but I think it counts for something.
As I followed Malala around Antananarivo, multiple customers told me how the Koba Aina had helped them physically and mentally.
One grandmother said she used to consume only coffee and bread most days. Now, three generations of her family eat Koba Aina instead.
Another, a mother named Francia who now works at a Nutri’zaza-run daycare center, told me her youngest daughter once struggled with acute malnutrition. The little girl’s health was deteriorating until she started eating Koba Aina. Today, she is healthy.
Countless others said Koba Aina gave them more energy, prevented disease, and brought them joy.
It’s hard to attribute these effects exclusively to the porridge. But one thing is clear: Nutri’zaza can help over 1,000 children stave off malnutrition with the cost of a single fancy Michelin starred multi-course meal.
That, I think, deserves a star.