“We’ve experienced malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and lack of proper nutrition. And I’m not only talking about myself. I’m talking about many pregnant women,” said Hanaa*.

For Hanaa, pregnancy came with more than the usual worries about her baby’s health. In Gaza, where she lives, food insecurity and shortages of essential medicines left her struggling to get the nutrition she needed. Like many pregnant women, she developed severe anemia, putting both her and her baby’s health at risk.

A portrait of Hanaa, a pregnant woman.

Around the world, crises weigh heaviest on those already most vulnerable. Pregnant women face heightened risks of malnutrition, anemia, and life-threatening complications when food, medicines, and basic health services are limited.

In settings where so much remains uncertain, access to prenatal vitamins, especially multiple micronutrient supplements, can provide critical nutritional support for pregnant women.

Not too long ago, a truck carrying a donation of multiple micronutrient supplements pulled up outside a warehouse for delivery to United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), a longtime CMMB partner. Kirk Humanitarian donated these supplements to CMMB for need-based distribution to our global partners, like UPA. After making the journey from the United States with support from Airlink, a humanitarian transportation partner, the vitamins were one step closer to reaching pregnant women in need.

a truck arrives at a warehouse

Among them were the pregnant women seeking care at the Near East Council of Churches (NECC) clinic, where healthcare providers watched medicine and supply shortages take a toll.

“We encountered many cases of fetal abnormalities and severe anemia among women due to the lack of nutritional supplements,” said Dr. Shaima, a physician providing prenatal care at the clinic. “Thankfully, after these supplements became available, we began to see a noticeable decrease in fetal abnormalities, as well as a significant decrease in anemia among pregnant women.”

Shelves at NECC are now stocked, allowing providers to offer lifesaving support to mothers like Hanaa.

Vitamns being unboxed for pregnant women

“When I heard that the NECC was providing nutritional supplements, I was honestly happy because it meant there was a way for pregnant women to obtain vitamins and supplements,” she said. “This also helps ease some of the pressure women are facing.”

Today, women who walk through the doors of the NECC clinic can leave with prenatal vitamins that were previously unavailable. For Hanaa and other pregnant women, that access offers one less worry during a crisis that leaves so much unknown.

*Name has been changed 

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