Nutrition & Education International NEI

2020 New Year Message from the NEI President Web version: https://mailchi.mp//new-year-message-from-the-nei-president Dear NEI friends: Looking back, I realize that 2019 was NEI’s most challenging year in Afghanistan. It was very hard to sustain the organization’s many educational and humanitarian programs without an influx of major funding. However, thanks to your ongoing contributions and support, we were able to continue our outreach to rural farmers, enabling them to g...row soybeans to feed their malnourished children as well as earn an income to provide for their families. Today, people throughout Afghanistan look to soybeans as a practical, affordable and delicious complete protein source. In fact, due to our joint efforts, we can proudly share that more rural families are now consuming soy dishes at home especially to nourish their growing children. Photo: The Grassroots Backbone of NEI’s Soy Program: The village farmers of Guzara district in Herat province happily share their successful soybean production stories during the break of a field day organized by NEI’s extension agronomist Sebghatullah Navini (October 2019). I met most of them before through several trips taken to Herat to encourage them. New Government Market Notably, Afghanistan President Ghani recently signed a decree that soy dishes be included in the government's meal plan. As a result, more than 200,000 government employees are enjoying delicious soy qorma (stew) twice weekly, with an expansion planned in 2020. More farmers are growing soybeans to supply this new market. Future Growth Opportunity An exciting new development is on the horizon. Several countries, including the Philippines, Sierra Leone and Tanzania, have recognized NEI’s accomplishments in Afghanistan and are interested in partnering with us to replicate our soy program in their own countries. They too want to help their people overcome malnutrition, hunger and poverty. We have met with key representatives from these countries and expect to begin feasibility discussions soon. If we decide to pursue these opportunities, we will go with our NEI-trained Afghan experts who have built a sustainable soy industry from ground zero to a national scope. After 17 years of arduous but rewarding work, we remain committed to the great people of Afghanistan in defeating protein-energy malnutrition through the development of a self-sustainable soy industry. We seek your support be it in time, talent, treasure or prayers as we journey on this path together. Thank you. Sincerely, Steven Kwon, Ph.D. Founder and President

We at NEI HQ wish all our friends, supporters, and employees a happy holiday season!

When you support NEI this #GivingTuesday, you help rural village women like Halima make their own chicken feed to start their own poultry businesses, and you relieve a huge burden from these women who do not have any cash to spend. Thank you for your support, and consider donating to NEI this season to help more women! https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr

Happy World Children's Day! We want to make sure every child in Afghanistan grows healthy and strong, so we hope to have your support in bringing them protein essential to avoiding malnutrition and stunting. Pictured: NEI distributes soymilk to schoolchildren in Faizabad, Badakhshan

Our Fall 2019 Newsletter is now live! In this issue: Field Day Programs Conducted in Eight Provinces 2019 Soybean Variety Trials... Soy Nutrition Impact: Mr. Qasim Afghanistan’s First Certified Food QA Lab 4-H Global Leadership Conference https://mailchi.mp/neifo/nei-summer-2019-newsletter-3363153

NEI just came back from the 4-H Global Leadership Conference hosted on Jeju Island in Korea! Our staff presented Afghanistan and NEI's youth development program to this wonderful organization.

This Malnutrition Awareness Week, September 23-27, we'd like to emphasize just how important it is to be nourished. More than just being the #1 killer in Afghanistan, malnutrition affects every part of life - from the health of our children, the strength of our bodies, and even our ability to learn. With organizational efforts in Afghanistan, malnutrition's damage is down 20% from a decade ago. But we still have a long way to go before the silent killer is taken down. ... Defeating malnutrition is a key part of rebuilding Afghanistan, and that's why NEI is continuing to provide nutritious soy foods to schoolchildren, teaching farmers to grow soy, and the country how to eat it. #soy #malnutrition Chart from: http://www.healthdata.org/afghanistan

On Monday, our Assistant Sales Manager, Mirwais Masqoodi, was interviewed by Arezo Channel about NEI and what we do! For the interview in Dari, click here: https://youtu.be/37-L8oC4k6k

NEI has officially been awarded ISO 17025 certification for our Kabul laboratory! With this, food companies and other industries in Afghanistan can use NEI's testing services with the certified confidence that we operate at the same level as trusted laboratories around the world, helping make Afghanistan's food safer.

World Charity Day is this Thursday, September 5th, and we'd like to highlight the many ways you can help eliminate poverty in the most dangerous country in the world. NEI is all about sustainability, so your contributions don't stop with just one or two meals - Afghans right now are preparing for the harvest of their newly-learned soybean farming and will keep growing it and showing their communities, year after year, giving them the nourishment to become healthy and strong! Because when a seed grows, it spreads. https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1781650

NEI Pasadena is moving up! Check out our new office's view, in Suite 503. (same street address)