Meet Jonas, a 21-month-old baby from Guatemala. According to our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq, “Jonas is the second child born into his family. He loves to play with toy cars and a little ball given to him by his brother.”
Jonas currently lives with acute malnutrition. He suffers from regular diarrhea and is not growing as well as the other children in his neighborhood. Wuqu’ Kawoq explains, “Jonas is far below both the average weight and height for his age. If intervention does not occur, his immune system will crash and he will be unable to ward off infections and illnesses. His mother is already stretched for money, and so if Jonas’s health continues to decline there is no doubt that she will have to make some extremely hard sacrifices to try and afford advanced healthcare or hospitalizations.”
For $512, Jonas can receive treatment for his malnourishment. Children enrolled in Wuqu’ Kawoq’s recuperative nutrition program receive about 1-4 months of intensive intervention, which includes an evaluation for thyroid disease, anemia, and intestinal infections, treatment of acute infections with antibiotics and weekly monitoring visits to the home by a nutritionist and case manager. An assessment of food insecurity, food to help bolster acute recovery and micronutrient supplementation are also provided.
According to Wuqu’ Kawoq, “Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Jonas the chance to live a healthy productive life…His mother will receive intensive nutrition education thus building her confidence and ability to care for Jonas and his brother throughout their childhood.”
Jonas’s mother says, “I want my son, Jonas, to grow well and eventually go to school with his brother, Antony, and that they will love each other and care for each other.”