Kiwanis Club of Stratford
A Kiwanis International Initiative – I.D.D.

In 1994, Kiwanis launched its first Worldwide Service Project, a $75 million campaign in partnership with UNICEF to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders by the year 2000. Kiwanis International pledged the financial assistance which UNICEF needed to carry out its commitment to build plants that would add iodine to the salt in countries where IDD was a health concern and to package and identify the salt as iodized.

The Kiwanis International partnership with UNICEF to combat Iodine Deficiency Disorder is one of the greatest – and least recognized – Public Health victories of our time, comparable to the elimination of Small Pox and Polio in the years after WW II.

In 1990, less than 20% of the world’s population, or 1 billion people, had access to iodized salt. The lack of iodine in the diet results in Iodine Deficiency Disorder, the leading preventable cause of mental retardation in children. By 2005, over 70% of the world’s population, or 4 billion people, were using iodized salt, with dramatic improvements in their health and well-being. The use of iodine protects the intelligence of growing children, enabling them to grow into productive adults. It has been estimated that each dollar spent on putting iodine in salt increases productivity by $30. In addition, healthy, high-function mothers will be more likely to make healthy choices for their babies such as immunization, breast feeding, and nutritional supplements.

The number of countries where the lack of access to iodized salt is a health concern has been reduced from 119 to only 19. Problem areas still exist, but even they are showing improvement. In 2000, the government of was concerned that only two-thirds of its people were using iodized salt and so with the aid of UNICEF’s expertise and Kiwanis dollars they launched a promotional campaign. By 2003, usage of iodized salt had increased to 93% of the families. Afghanistan continues to be a problem area, but even there the usage has increased from 1% in 1990 to 30% in 2005 by using donkeys to carry iodized salt to remote areas over poor roads.

The continuing challenge is to maintain what has been achieved. Once the outward signs of the problem, the unsightly goiters, disappear and children begin to achieve in school, people may quickly forget to access the iodine through iodized salt and funding for production and promotion may dry up. It is important that Kiwanis International and UNICEF continue to monitor the IDD situation, and continue to advocate for legislation in those countries which are still IDD problem areas.

It is important to recognize that it was the ‘winning combination’ of recognizing a need in the world, identifying a solution and working in partnership to achieve a goal, which has nearly eradicated Iodine Deficiency Disorder and improved the quality of life of children around the world, one child at a time.