Angela is a 20-month-old child living with her parents in a small bamboo house in the Philippines. Angela’s father is a farmer, and he earns only a small income.
Angela’s diet is not adequately nutritious. She was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition by a health trainer from our medical partner, International Care Ministries (ICM). ICM recommended she join the Home-Based Feeding program to help her fight against malnutrition. On October 17, 2016, Angela began malnutrition treatment.
One of five children under five years of age 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.
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. The total cost of the support and resources is $268, and her family needs financial assistance.
Following her treatment, Angela will resume normal child development, and her family will have the support needed to maintain a nutritious diet.
“I hope she will recover from malnutrition and have good health,” shares Angela’s mother.