Kythniel is a one-year-old girl who is severely malnourished. She lives in a small house near the coast one of the poorest islands in the Philippines. Her father is a construction worker, and her family shares water and electricity with their neighbors.
One out of five children under five in communities served by our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM), 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.
Kythniel is unable to walk because of her condition. Fortunately, she began ICM’s malnutrition treatment program on October 18, 2016.
ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get the additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. 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.
Kythniel’s family needs help to pay for this $268 treatment. Hopefully, Kythniel will avoid the most common consequences of malnutrition, including stunting and delayed brain development.

