In 1990, Jerry and Monique Sternin were given six months to figure out why children in Vietnam were starving and start to fix it. Extreme poverty was obviously the cause, and no one thought any progress could be made in just a few months.

Instead of using common sense or their own previous success methods, they did something very different. They decided to find out if any of Vietnam’s poorest toddlers were not malnourished. When the search team reported back with “‘Có, có, có’” (Yes, yes, yes), they knew it was possible.

Instead of just feeding their children rice, these mothers were mixing in sweet potato greens and shrimps so small they were tossed aside. They were also feeding their children small portions throughout the day, accommodating their tiny stomachs. The differences were so small, they could have easily gone unnoticed.

But these children were not starving, and their solution could apply to all families.