Approach · Nutrition, Improving wellbeing
Treating acute malnutrition
Treating severely malnourished children at home with ready-to-use therapeutic food.
How strong is the evidence?
Not yet rated
The evaluator hasn't published an evidence rating we can quote.
Published figures for charities doing this
| Charity | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| TaimakaWELLBYs per $1,000 | 66 WELLBYs per $1,000 donatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| TaimakaCost per child treated | $87.21 per child treatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| TaimakaCost per WELLBY | $15.15 per WELLBYpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| TaimakaEffect per person | 5.72 WELLBYs per person treatedpublished table | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| TaimakaCompared with cash transfers | 8.7× the wellbeing per dollar of cash transfers (GiveDirectly)published comparison | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
| GiveWell All Grants FundGiveWell's funding bar | 6× as cost-effective as GiveWell's benchmarkas of May 2026 | GiveWell (opens in a new tab) |
| Happier Lives FundAllocation to charities | 90% of donations go to recommended charitiespublished page | Happier Lives Institute (opens in a new tab) |
Modeled, not guaranteed. Figures in different units measure different kinds of good and should not be compared directly.
Charities doing this work
Taimaka
Treats children with acute malnutrition in north-east Nigeria using ready-to-use therapeutic food.
66 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated
Happier Lives Institute, published table
GiveWell All Grants Fund
GiveWell's broader fund. It can grant to any program that meets GiveWell's cost-effectiveness bar, including newer and higher-risk opportunities.
6× as cost-effective as GiveWell's benchmark
GiveWell, as of May 2026
Happier Lives Fund
Pools donations for the Happier Lives Institute's recommended wellbeing charities, with a smaller share supporting the Institute's research.
90% of donations go to recommended charities
Happier Lives Institute, published page
ALIMA
A medical humanitarian organization. GiveWell has funded its treatment of child malnutrition.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
Sources
Questions donors ask
- Does treating acute malnutrition work?
No evaluator has published an evidence rating for this approach that we can quote. See the sources on this page for the full reasoning.
- How cost-effective is it?
It depends on the charity and the setting. The table on this page lists each published figure with its source. All are modeled, not guaranteed.