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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.