“Jade is 13 month old boy who loves to play with his brothers,” shares our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). “He lives in a small house made out of wood and bamboo with his four siblings.”
Jade’s family lives in one of the poorest cities in the Philippines. His father works as a farmer, but doesn’t earn enough money to feel each of his children adequately. “As a result, Jade is malnourished and small for his age. He is a friendly child that loves playing with other kids,” ICM explains.
ICM continues, “One out of five children under-5 in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases.”
For $184, we can enroll Jade in ICM’s home-based feeding program, which provides nutrient enriched food packs to help him regain a normal amount of weight.
As part of the program, “staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress,” ICM explains. “To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and organic vegetable gardening.”
“I hope Jade will have good health,” his parents share. “I hope that he can study and become a professional someday.”
