Meet Devora, a 22-month-old infant from Guatemala. Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), tells us, “Devora is her parent’s first child. She lives in a one-room house made of wood and tin. Her father works as a day laborer in the fields, and her mother works at home.”
“Devora plays with her plastic tea cups and enjoys eating vegetables. Although her parents both work tirelessly to provide for her, they cannot afford fruit, enough vegetables, or sufficient amounts of protein. Devon is below the average height and the average weight for her age,” WK reports. ”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 Devora 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 Devora of a parasitic infection, and nutrition education for her parents. With these combined efforts, Devora will recoup her weight and height and strengthen her immune system, laying the foundation for a healthier future.
“We hope that she learns to read and write, which will open doors for success,” shares Devora’s mother.