“I want my boy to learn how to walk and to become strong and healthy," Iker's mother says. "That’s all.” Iker is his mother's first child. She often brings him to work with her, at a neighborhood store, and says that he "loves to just sit and watch people come and go from the store. Recently, Iker's mother noticed that he wasn't growing as well as the other children is his neighborhood, so she brought him to our medical partner in Guatemala, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). There, he was diagnosed with malnutrition. "Iker is far below both the average weight and height for his age," WK reports. "If intervention does not occur, his immune system will crash and he will be unable to ward off infections and illnesses. He will also be at risk of the long-term effects of malnutrition that occur mainly due to the limited brain development that results from malnutrition." Iker needs immediate intervention to reverse the effects of his malnutrition and prevent it from getting worse. With our support, Iker will receive the treatment he needs to get healthy again. WK describes that,"treatment will supply Iker with growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication for him to recoup some of the weight and height he has lost, overcome the gastrointestinal infection causing his diarrhea, as well as medication to treat his fever, and increase his overall caloric intake. His mother will receive intensive nutrition education thus building her confidence and ability to care for Iker throughout his childhood. Intervention now will prevent the future effects of malnutrition, and give Iker the chance to live a healthy productive life."

Meet Sofia, a 17-month-old girl from Guatemala. Sofia is cared for primarily by her grandmother while her mother works cleaning houses to earn money to support her daughter. Sofia’s father abandoned them right after Sofia was born, and her grandfather passed away some years ago. Her mother is dedicated to building the best life possible for her child but says that they simply don’t have enough money to even afford 1 egg per day for her. As a result, Sofia lives with acute malnutrition. "Sofia has struggled with stomach infections and malnutrition since she was little," says our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq (WK). "She was born in the hospital and ever since she started to eat solid food she has experienced pain afterwards. This has made her not want to eat and as a result she is losing weight. She has a diarrhea and a cough. Her grandmother and mother are extremely worried because they cannot afford food other than tortillas and squash. Her immune system is weak and as a result she has lost weight and is not growing well. Without intervention she will face the long-term effects of malnutrition and be at risk for other acute illnesses." For $512, WK will provide comprehensive malnutrition treatment for Sofia. "This treatment will supply Sofia with the growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication for her to recoup some of the weight and height she has lost, and treat the gastrointestinal infection causing her diarrhea and frequents coughs. Her mother and grandmother will receive intensive nutrition education thus building their ability to care for Sofia and her siblings throughout her childhood. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Sofia the chance to live a healthy productive life." “She is the light of my life," her mother says. "I want to do everything I can.”