“I am so happy and grateful that my daughter can receive this treatment,” shares Sarita’s mother. “I hope she recovers quickly from malnutrition.”
Sarita is 18 months old and is living with acute malnutrition. Acute malnutrition can be life-threatening, and puts a lot of economic and social strain on the family. Sarita’s mother had noticed that she was not growing as well as her older siblings, but did not have the ability to provide her with the food she needed. She has been getting sick often— she has had a nasty cough that is hard for her to get rid of when her body is malnourished.
The medical staff at Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), our medical partner, found Sarita while conducting home visits in rural Guatemala.
Sarita is the youngest of four children. She lives in a cinderblock house with a tin roof with her parents. Sarita loves to play with her toy dishes. Her oldest brother Adrian is who takes care of Sarita while her parents work. Sarita’s father works as a carpenter and her mother works taking care of the house, raising Sarita and her siblings, and weaving Mayan textiles when she has time. Although her parents work hard, they still struggle to make enough money to support their family.
Sarita is also having trouble reaching developmental milestones—she just barely began to say ‘mama’ and ‘papa’ and cannot say any additional words. If not treated now, the effects of acute malnutrition can affect Sarita the rest of her life—she will likely have a have a hard time focusing and doing well in school, and have a greater chance of developing chronic diseases like diabetes and hypertension when she’s an adult.
$512 will fund a multifaceted malnutrition treatment for Sarita. “This treatment will supply Sarita with the growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication for her to gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age,” shares WK. “This treatment will strengthen her immune system and increase her overall caloric intake. Sarita’s parents will receive intense nutrition education to ensure that Sarita and all her siblings have the diets they need to be healthy.”
Treatment will help Sarita start to develop better both physically and mentally. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Sarita the chance to live a healthy and productive life.