Raising a Life, Raising a Nation: Jenny Martin Calls on South Africans to Tackle Childhood Stunting Together

GLM TEAM October 30, 2025

In a country known for its generosity and spirit of ubuntu, one in four South African children is growing up stunted — a hidden crisis that quietly robs them of their full potential. Jenny Martin, Managing Director of Compact Food Solutions (CFS), is determined to change that.

From her Cape Town base, Jenny leads a team dedicated to practical, evidence-based nutrition solutions designed to combat stunting — a condition caused by chronic undernutrition during the first 1,000 days of life. As the country prepares to mark National Children’s Day on 1 November, she is urging South Africans to come together under the banner: “Raise a Life. Raise a Nation.”

“When we nourish a child, we fuel a future” says Martin. “We raise healthier, happier children who will one day raise families, communities and our nation.”

Understanding the Challenge

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According to the latest SADHS 2016/2024 UNICEF report, 29% of South African children under five are stunted. This means they are significantly shorter than they should be for their age — often up to 15 centimetres — and have lost as much as 40% of their potential brain development in the first three years of life.

While the damage caused by stunting is irreversible, it is also entirely preventable. Martin explains that the key lies in ensuring children between six and twenty-three months receive nutrient-rich complementary foods from six months onward. Compact Food Solutions, based in Cape Town, manufactures WHO/UNICEF-aligned lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-MQ) and distributes them through accredited NGO networks to early childhood development centres, helping fill critical nutritional gaps during this vital growth stage.

“These sachets might look small, but their impact is enormous,” says Martin. “They’re designed to close the daily nutrient gaps that keep our children from thriving.”

Community in Action

This year, in the lead-up to National Children’s Day, Compact Food Solutions is bringing the conversation to the people. From Wednesday, 29 October to Sunday, 2 November, South Africans can visit the CFS “Raise a Life” awareness stands at Canal Walk, Tyger Valley and Cavendish Square.

Here, community ambassadors will be sharing information about stunting, demonstrating how nutrient sachets work and showing how small individual acts of giving can add up to a national movement.

“We know South Africans care deeply,” says Martin. “Our focus groups show that people genuinely want to help — and they want their contributions to make a real difference. By partnering with trusted NGOs and maintaining full transparency, we ensure that every donation helps provide a nutritious supplement to a child’s meal, giving them the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.”

A Cape Town Leader with a Cause

With over 25 years’ experience in pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare, Jenny Martin has led teams across South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, always with a “people-first” approach. Her leadership style blends business acumen with purpose — and now, her mission is personal.

“As a mother, I’ve seen how nutrition shapes a child’s potential,” she says. “As a leader, I know how collective action shapes a nation. It’s time we close the gap between those two truths.”

Under Martin’s leadership, Compact Food Solutions (CFS) is redefining what it means to be a purpose-driven company — one that not only manufactures locally but uplifts communities through sustainable partnerships and measurable impact.

With roots in Norway dating back to 1948 and a strong South African presence since 2014, Compact Food Solutions blends global experience with local commitment to improving child nutrition and changing lives.

Join the Movement

This National Children’s Day, Jenny Martin invites every South African to be part of the solution.

“Even a small act — visiting a mall stand, making a micro-donation, or spreading the word — can help give a child the start they deserve,” she says.

Because when we raise a life, we truly raise a nation.