“When they told me in the health outpost that my son wasn’t growing well, I was filled with sadness and I was worried,” shares the mother of 10-month-old Esvin. “It has been difficult because he always gets sick. I can’t wait to see my son improve. I appreciate the support that you all will give so he can improve, can grow well, and go to school and one day be a professional. I want him to be a professor and teach classes.”
Esvin’s mother has been saddened ever since the health workers at the government-run health outpost told her that her son was losing weight, and that his health was in danger. Our community health worker was able to get in contact with her and now Esvin has the opportunity to receive life-saving treatment for his malnutrition - giving him the chance he needs to receive a healthy and varied diet and overcome malnutrition.
Esvin’s parents can’t afford toys for him, so he plays with things around the house or with his older sister, who is 12. She often takes care of him and talks with him, which always makes him smile. Esvin comes from a humble family with few resources– they all live in a small one-room adobe house with a tin roof. His father works as a day laborer, but he does not get sufficient pay, and many days he doesn’t get paid at all. His mother does not work because she spends her days taking care of Esvin and his sister, cooking, and cleaning the house.
Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation will help Esvin recover from malnutrition, which will put him on track to live a better life in the future. This treatment, which costs $512, will help him gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake, preventing him from having any life-threatening situations with diarrhea, fevers, and cough. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses.
Additionally, Esvin’s parents will receive support to give him the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Esvin the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.