Meet Iris, a happy nine-month-old baby who loves to eat watermelon and eggs and play with her aunt. She lives with her family in rural Guatemala. Iris has been diagnosed with severe stunting as a result of malnutrition. She has little energy to grow, and her immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. She is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Iris will begin malnutrition treatment on January 19. While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Iris recover. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age, and her immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach her mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Iris's parents work hard to provide for their family, but they cannot afford the treatment. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $437 to assist Iris in her recovery so that she can grow up to be happy, healthy, and strong. Iris's mother hopes her "daughter always has the health necessary to have good grades in school."

11-month-old Eliezer lives with his parents, four-year-old sister, and grandparents in rural Guatemala. Since his birth, he has had bouts of coughing and fever. When he is sick, he eats and plays little. His mother has tried to help Eliezer with medication, but he is losing weight and continues to get sick. Eliezer is not receiving enough calories, protein, and nutrients to sustain his growth and immune system. He has been diagnosed with malnutrition. Eliezer will begin malnutrition treatment on January 12. His treatment will be simple, involving nutritional supplements and dietary staples, such as eggs and beans. His mother will receive in-home nutrition education, so she will learn low-cost ways to prevent future cases of malnutrition. Our medical partner, Wuqu' Kawoq, is requesting $437 for Eliezer's treatment. Eliezer's mother says, "I would really like to see my son get better and for him to be able to grow well, so that one day he can be a teacher in our community." For now, Eliezer enjoys playing with his toy car, crawling, and walking with the help of his family. Treatment will give Eliezer a chance to grow into a healthy, energetic baby.

Jel, a four-year-old girl from the Philippines, lives with her family in a small house. Her father is a laborer. With his limited income, he has trouble providing enough for the family. Due to a lack of nutritious meals, Jel has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Fortunately for Jel, on October 18, 2016, she enrolled in the Home-Based Feeding program provided by International Care Ministries (ICM), Watsi's medical partner in the Philippines. One out of every five children under age five in ICM communities is either moderately or severely acutely malnourished. In many remote communities and urban slums, lack of clean water and unsanitary environments add to the risk of potentially fatal childhood diseases. Despite these facts, ICM and Watsi are working to combat the sources of these conditions. ICM's $184 Home-Based Feeding program will provide Jel with nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure she regains a normal weight for her age and achieves optimum physical and mental development. Staff and community volunteers will make weekly visits to monitor her progress in the program. In addition to this treatment, ICM's staff will educate Jel's parents about proper nutrition, organic vegetable gardening, sanitation, and hygiene. This information will help them make decisions to sustain their daughter's health in the future. "I'm so happy that my daughter is one of the patients who is receiving care from ICM," says Jel's mother. "I hope she will recover from malnutrition and become strong and healthy soon!"

Meet Nallely, a 10-month-old girl from Guatemala. Nallely has two older siblings and lives with her parents in a humble adobe house with a tin roof. She loves to listen to music and dance. Nallely's mother cooks, manages the kids, and attends to the house. Nallely is below the average height and the average weight for her age due to acute malnutrition. She currently is not consuming enough calories and enough quality foods. As a result her physical growth is stunted, and we worry her mental growth will be stunted as well. As a result of food insecurity and marginalization, indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of stunting in the world. In addition to growth stunting, malnutrition can lead to lower IQ, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. $512 will fund the treatment Nallely needs to address her nutritional deficit and improve her low energy and subsequent limited mental potential. This involves micronutrient and food supplementation, deworming medication to rid Nallely of a parasitic infection, and nutrition education for her parents. With these combined efforts, Nallely will recoup her weight and height and strengthen her immune system, laying the foundation for a healthier future.

20-month-old Angela lives with her parents in a one-room house in Guatemala, made of cinderblocks with a tin roof. Her mother works at home, taking care of Angela, cooking, and cleaning. Her father works as a farmer, only making a couple dollars per day by selling his corn and beans. Although they want the best for her, they cannot afford to give her even one piece of fruit, vegetable, or egg per day--making it impossible for her to overcome her malnutrition without treatment. Angela has not been able to grow like she should. This is because she is suffering from malnutrition, a dangerous condition is caused by her parent’s inability to afford foods for her that are rich in protein, calories, and nutrients. Not only is her poor diet affecting her size, but it is weakening her immune system—making her sick almost constantly with a cold, fever, or diarrhea. If she does not receive treatment, she could face long-term consequences such as increased risk of chronic diseases, low IQ, and a higher likelihood of dropping out of school. Growth monitoring, micronutrients and food supplementation will help Angela recover from malnutrition. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age. Her immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase her appetite and help her use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent bouts of diarrhea. Her parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give Angela the diet she needs to grow and develop healthily, even with their limited resources. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Angela the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made her sick in the first place.