Child health programs focus almost exclusively on prenatal care, breastfeeding and nutritional support to children through their families and communities. They do not reach the tens of millions of children living in institutions and foster homes, nor children with disabilities who are so often kept isolated. SPOON exists to fill this gap.

These kids are often fed diets void of key nutrients. Equally concerning is how they are fed, often times without caregiver contact and/or lying flat on their backs, at a pace they simply can’t sustain without choking and aspirating. Gone unaddressed, the risks to a child’s health, cognitive development, and length and quality of life are profound.

SPOON has worked in 12 countries since 2007, using tools specifically designed to accommodate the unique nutrition and feeding needs of children impacted by disability and/or institutional care. Our tools have been field-tested with clear and compelling results, drastically reducing malnutrition and life-threatening feeding practices in orphanages, foster care and community settings.