A child can have a full belly and still be starving. That paradox — known as hidden hunger — is the focus of Sanku, an organization Dr. Grant chose to support after encountering its mission through the TED community.
Sanku works with local millers across Eastern Africa to fortify everyday staple foods with essential vitamins and minerals. Because the approach builds on foods families already eat, it reaches people consistently, without asking them to change what they buy or how they cook.
The results are measured at a scale few health initiatives achieve: more than 67 million people reached with improved nutrition through small, local mills.
Sanku's work was featured on the TED stage in the talk “How can a child have a full belly, yet still be starving?” by co-founder and CEO Felix Brooks-church at TED2026.
Watch the TED talk
67M+
People reached with improved nutrition
$0.26
Cost per person per year
2004
Year Sanku was founded
01
The Model
Sanku partners with small-scale mills and installs a simple, cloud-connected dosifier that adds precise amounts of vitamins and minerals into flour as it is milled.
02
The Impact
By integrating fortification into existing supply chains, Sanku protects communities from malnutrition at a fraction of the cost of traditional aid programs.
03
The Vision
The goal is to reach one billion people with fortified staples, turning everyday meals into a scalable public health intervention.
“Proper nutrition is a basic human right. Help us deliver vital nutrients to one billion people.”
— Sanku
Information provided on this website is educational and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice.
