Since 2007, Peru has saved more than 350,000 kids from being stunted

A non-traditional program called the Family Independence Initiative (F.I.I.), uses a radically different approach from the traditional American social service model to empower entire families alleviate themselves from poverty. The results in multiple states thus far have been so striking, that this model of self-sufficiency may be able to have a significant impact reducing poverty nationwide.

One in three children in Peru are stunted by a lack of nutritious foods in their diet. In 2005, the government gave cash hand-outs to poor mothers, but only on the condition that they had regular health check-ups and their children went to school. By 2014 the number of children growing up too small had halved.

Being poor can make you sick because of where you work, live and eat. Medical-legal partnerships, in hospitals U.S. cities, are attacking these social determinants through legal aid to the poor, often class-action lawsuits.

Doctors Without Borders treats malnutrition in areas of Nigeria facing food shortages due to violence and insurgency. When safe, it runs a mobile clinic to provide basic health care, including nutritional support, particularly to children. When communities are not safe enough to enter, the organization trains community members in basic patient care and provides them the tools to run basic tests and treat malnutrition. Community health workers are also trained to treat patients, dispense medications, and educate caregivers about child nutrition.

To promote the need to end intersex surgery, an organization launched a multi-pronged campaign that raised awareness about the potentially damaging impacts of the practice. The group used social media, created a petition, and held protests outside of a local hospital – all of which resulted in the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago issuing an apology and declaring that "they will no longer be performing intersex surgeries unless absolutely medically necessary moving forward." Throughout the world, similar awareness efforts have also garnered positive outcomes.

The Million Death study revealed that the child mortality rate in India has decreased over the past 15 years. These results are most likely due to vaccine drives, free diagnostics, more health clinics and other such improvements.

Child mortality is a global problem that can be reduced by increasing breastfeeding rates; however, many mothers are either under too much cultural pressure, need to work, or cannot lactate enough milk. Brazil has devised an education program to help mothers breastfeed and has also created milk banks, through which mothers can donate excess milk to mothers who cannot produce. Additionally, Brazil offers paid maternity leave for mothers who have time to breastfeed and provide better health for their bodies as well as their new babies.

Over 50 percent of Wisconsin counties lack mental health professionals to serve the populations, and the shortage directly affects children’s mental health. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has submitted funds to a clinic in Ashwaubenon to integrate mental health counselors into primary care work. The effort is nationwide and has shown to be effective in identifying early signs of anxiety and depression beyond patients’ awareness so that counseling is accessible and treatment can be administered.

A social enterprise in India addresses the root causes of the country's maternal health care crisis, studying social and economic factors that contribute to infant deaths, domestic violence, and improper maternal health care practices. The enterprise, SNEHA, builds relationships with mothers to learn about their health and domestic violence history, and offers financial and health care support.

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, under pressure from the insurance network to lower maternity costs, used a number of tools to lower the rate of cesarean sections done. The changes not only helped drastically reduce costs, but created a better, safer birth outcomes for patients.