In a sterile, solar-powered facility in northern Haiti, workers suit up like surgeons. But they aren’t performing operations, they’re producing medicine in the form of peanut paste. And in a country teetering on the edge of collapse, it’s a rare symbol of hope.
Inside this factory run by the nonprofit Meds & Food for Kids, Haitian workers meticulously measure, mix and pack a therapeutic peanut paste that’s used to treat severe childhood malnutrition. The paste, enriched with vitamins and micronutrients, has become a lifeline for children pushed to the brink by starvation.
Chief Operating Officer Remenson Tenor guided the visit. "Each bucket should have the exact quantity of raw materials," he explained as workers added precise amounts of sugar and nutrients.
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The numbers are stark: over one million children in Haiti — one in four — are now facing life-threatening malnutrition. UNICEF warns that blocked roads and a collapsing healthcare system have cut off countless communities from food and aid. In Cap-Haïtien, Scripps News visited a crowded clinic where mothers lined up with babies in their arms. One mother’s baby showed early signs of starvation. She’ll go home with a supply of the peanut paste made just miles away.
"There’s hope in her eyes," Tenor observed. "Because she knows there’s a place she can go to get what her child needs."
Stored without refrigeration for up to two years, the paste is uniquely suited to Haiti, where electricity is scarce and the national grid has largely failed. MFK runs day and night shifts to keep up with demand, producing up to 5,000 boxes a week.
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"How many people does it take to produce that?" Scripps News international correspondent Jason Bellini asked.
"Fifty to sixty," Tenor replied. "For the whole factory."
But producing the paste is only part of the challenge. Getting it to children in need — especially in areas like Port-au-Prince — is another. Armed gangs control many roads, often setting up barricades that stop supply trucks.
"Why would they stop a truck full of medicine for children?" Bellini asked.
"I don’t know," Tenor said. "We don’t have any connections or contacts with anyone. We can’t say, ‘Hey, we’re bringing medicine, please let us through.’"
Instead, MFK uses a barge from Cap-Haïtien’s port and, when needed, coordinates with the World Food Program to fly in supplies via helicopter.
The crisis has only deepened since Scripps News last visited Port-au-Prince, with violence worsening and U.S. international aid now being cut. Tenor said the funding shock is a painful reminder of just how much is at stake.
Still, MFK is committed to Haitian self-reliance. "Today, we have a staff that is 100% Haitian, that is running this organization," Tenor said.
That effort includes local peanut farmers, whose crops once didn’t meet food safety standards. Now, thanks to MFK’s outreach, that’s changing.
"Last year, we trained 600 farmers. This year we’re looking to train 960," Tenor said. "We teach them how to prepare the soil, so the peanuts are safe for medicine."
For Tenor, the mission is personal. "A lot of my peers have left the country," he said. "But I understand I have to play my part. I have two beautiful daughters. I want to be able to sit with them someday and say, ‘This is what I did for my country.’"
