Born in Guatemala, Darwin is the first child to two loving parents. His father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops on large plantations, and wakes up long before dawn to look for firewood to sell, often making little more than a couple dollars per day. His mother works weaving traditional Mayan textiles, which she sells in a local market. Although both his parents work hard, they cannot afford to give him even one egg, vegetable, or fruit per day.
Darwin’s parents did not realize that their son was not growing well. Darwin is around three times below a normal size for his age and suffering from acute malnutrition. This is because the diet his parents can afford for him is mostly corn tortillas, which lacks protein, calories, and nutrients. If he does not receive treatment, the consequences could follow him for the rest of his life–leaving him with a low IQ, trouble focusing in school, and a greater risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as an adult. All these factors make it less likely he will have a well-paying job as an adult.
$512 will provide Darwin with growth monitoring, food supplements, and deworming medication. All measures will be taken to help him grow, develop both mentally and physically, and overcome malnutrition. Both of his parents are eager to learn how to make simple changes to their son’s diet to help him grow and develop as he should. They will receive nutrition education so they can learn how to best feed Darwin, even with the little resources they have. If he receives treatment now, he will be able to have normal mental and physical development, giving him a better chance to be a successful student and to one day be qualified for a well-paying job.
His mother shares with us, “I want to do everything possible so that my son grow up normally and become a good student in the future.”
