What We Do

Taimaka has reimagined pediatric malnutrition treatment by making it more cost-effective and scalable. We’ve developed a malnutrition treatment model that is 1) 63% cheaper than legacy approaches and 2) simplifies clinical protocols so that digitally-enabled community health workers (CHWs) can deliver care directly to the most vulnerable communities. 

So far, we’ve used our model to treat 7,000+ children out of existing government hospitals in northeastern Nigeria with world-class recovery rates of 95%+. Our track record has led charity evaluators like Founder’s Pledge to identify us as one of the most cost-effective nonprofits in global health, with a cost-per-life saved of $1,644.

Our History

Taimaka was founded on a simple commitment – to do the most we could with every dollar we spent. We began with $10,000, four unpaid co-founders, and a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of a micro-finance program that we thought could help tackle hunger and poverty in northeastern Nigeria. Today, we have 100+ employees, reach thousands of children with acute malnutrition in Gombe state, and innovate to help millions more. 

Our commitment to impact

A pivot towards greater cost-effectiveness

In our first year, our vision for cost-effective impact led us to focus on a microfinance program – providing smallholder farmers in Nigeria with post-harvest loans to tackle food insecurity among some of the most vulnerable communities. In 2021, we ran a randomized control trial on this program in partnership with researchers at the University of California – Berkeley to evaluate its impact in line with our commitment to impact. After this comprehensive evaluation, we decided that our approach did not meet our own standards for using every dollar to do the most good possible, leading us to pivot to focus solely on our malnutrition work, which we began in early 2021. An extensive overview of this decision and our post-harvest loans program is available here.

Today, we work in the same communities, on the worst form of hunger – acute childhood malnutrition. Globally, 45.4 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, causing 3.1 million preventable deaths annually.

Our continued vision…

Senior Leadership

Dr. Abubakar Umar

  • Abubakar is a co-founder of Taimaka and runs the medical side of our malnutrition program. He manages our team of nutrition care specialists, oversees hospital partners, and ensures that our patients receive the best possible standard of care.

    Umar has an MBBS from the University of Maiduguri with a focus on obstetrics and child nutrition and served as the Senior Medical Officer at the Gombe State Infectious Disease Hospital in Zambuk, where he pioneered a project to address severe acute malnutrition by using local crops to produce complementary food for malnourished children.

  • Justin is a co-founder of Taimaka and oversees technology, finance, and innovation. In his spare time, Justin tinkers with Taimaka’s tech portfolio and manages our in-house digital case management database.

    Justin previously served as a research analyst at the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, and has experience leveraging artificial intelligence to produce insights on US defense projects at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Justin holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford and an M.A. in Security Studies from Georgetown.

Justin Graham

  • Elisha leads outpatient care at Taimaka where he oversees the journey of 4,000+ children through our malnutrition treatment program every year. 

    Elisha is a registered nurse (RN) and has 6+ years working on nutrition and public health at organizations like Family Health International (FHI) and the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA). He leverages his extensive certifications from FHI and WHO, his M.A. degree in disaster risk management, and his managerial experience managing teams of 40+ to save the lives of children across northeastern Nigeria. 

Elisha Sini

  • Jennifer serves as a director at Taimaka where she oversees our research and innovation portfolio.

    Jenn is a public health researcher with an MPH in Public Health and Humanitarian Action from Columbia University. Previously, Jenn worked in research for Medicines San Frontiers, the Columbia Program on Forced Migration and Health, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Throughout her work, studies and research, Jenn seeks to center the advancement of justice, agency, community, and equity.

Jennifer Ostrowski

Our Team

    • Justin Graham (Co-Founder, Taimaka)

    • Dr. Abubakar Umar (Co-Founder, Taimaka)

    • Parth Ahya (Associate, Schmidt Futures; Co-Founder, Taimaka)

    • Muhammad Uba (Researcher, Ahmadu Bello Technical University; Co-Founder, Taimaka)

    • Jennifer Ostrowski (Director, Taimaka)

    • Olivia Shoemaker (Partnerships Coordinator, Taimaka)

    • Hannatu Daniel: Inpatient Care Supervisor

    • Jesse James: Outpatient Care Supervisor

    • Jennifer Ostrowski: Research Coordinator

    • Sarah Xu: Partnerships Director

    • James Tarfa Ishaya: Inpatient Care Program Officer

    • Hilary Chukusa: Community Mobilization Program Officer

    • Emmanuel Garba: Community Mobilization Program Officer

    • Muhammad Alibaba Kabir: Study Program Officer

    • Seun Adejumo: Measuring and Evaluation Program Officer

    • Nasiru Bello: Logistics Program Officer

    • Ruth Omale: Admin Officer

    • Salihu Bello: Measuring and Evaluation Assistant

    • Abubakar Waziri: Logistics Assistant

    • Ahmad Abubakar: Data Entry Assistant

    • James Kujir: Office Security

    • Aisha Mohammed Kolo: Inpatient Care Community Health Worker

    • Aishatu Usman: Inpatient Care Nurse

    • Aishatu Abubakar: Triage Officer

    • Aishatu Audu: Inpatient Care Ward Staff

    • Asmau Usman: Inpatient Care Focal Person

    • Balikisu Shuaibu: Study Assistant

    • Blessing Nathan: Triage Officer

    • Fatima Isah Galadima: Triage Officer

    • Fatima Ma’aji Uwaisu: Study Assistant

    • Fatsuma Chiroma: Triage Officer

    • Fatsuma Usman Liman: Triage Officer

    • Hadiza Mohammad: Community Mobilization Lead

    • Hajara Nuhu: Triage Officer

    • Hamza Umar: Inpatient Care Community Health Worker

    • Hauwa Mohammed Dantata: Study Assistant

    • Hulda Sunday Tarfa: Triage Officer

    • Liyatu Ishaku: Study Assistant

    • Markus Yaro: Intpatient Care Ward Staff

    • Maryam Abdullahi: Triage Officer

    • Maryam Jibrin: Community Mobilization Lead

    • Maryam Yahaya Banga: Inpatient Care Nurse

    • Mohammed Bula: Inpatient Care Ward Staff

    • Muhammad Musa Abba: Triage Officer

    • Rukaiya Mohammed: Inpatient Care Community Health Worker

    • Sadiqqa Muhammad Dauda: Triage Officer

    • Thawandjai Garjali: Inpatient Care Focal Person

    • Usman Abubakar: Triage Officer

    • Usman Abubakar Dantata: Triage Officer

    • Yahaya Mohammed Umar: Community Mobilization Lead

    • Yusuf Mohammad: Community Mobilization Lead

    • Zainab Adamu Goni: Inpatient Care Community Health Worker

    • Gombe State Ministry of Health

    • Gombe State Primary Healthcare Development Agency

    • Gombe State Hospital Services Management Board

    • Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe

    • Vitamin Angels

    • Gombe State Committee on Food and Nutrition

Transparency

  • 2023 Annual Report

    2022 Annual Report

    2021 Annual Report

    2020 Annual Report

  • Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

    Pitch Deck

    Overview of Taimaka's Work

    Theory of Change

    1-Year Plan (2024)

  • Post-Harvest Loans Program: From 2019-2021, Taimaka piloted a micro-finance program involving providing post-harvest loans to smallholder farmers. After an RCT in partnership with UC-Berkeley researchers, we decided to shut the program down as it did not meet our own bar for cost-effectiveness. Read more here.

    Messaging for Malnutrition: From 2022-2024, Taimaka piloted an automated voice call system designed to improve caregiver attendance at weekly malnutrition clinic appointments. The findings from an RCT in partnership with University of Florida researchers are available here.

    Endowment-Based Financing: In 2022, Taimaka investigated the use of endowment-based financing for global health nonprofits. We ultimately decided that an endowment was not promising model for us at our operational stage. The report is available here.

    Treatment Program Evaluation: In 2023, Founder's Pledge - a charity evaluator - evaluated the cost-effectiveness of Taimaka's treatment program and recommended us as a top giving opportunity. You can find that evaluation here.

  • Taimaka is registered as a 501c3. You can search our tax records and filing status using our EIN: 84-3964208. Please visit the IRS website to review our records.

Get in Touch.

Interested in supporting our work or learning even more about the nitty-gritty of what we do? Feel free to reach out and our team will get in touch with you.

Note: If you’re interested in volunteer opportunities, please feel out the form on our work with us page.

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