EJaymar is a two-year-old boy from the Philippines. He loves to play and be around his two siblings while they work on school assignments. EJaymar and his family live in a small house that has no access to electricity or water. His father works as a fisherman, but his income is unable to fully provide for a family of five.
One out of every five children under the age of 5-years in International Care Ministries (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.
EJaymar was enrolled into ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program October 19, and now needs $184 to fund her treatment.
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 being 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.
“My hope for EJaymar is that he will always be in a good health and be able to finish school someday,” says EJaymar’s mother.