“Thank you so much for this support, for keeping my daughter in your heart,” says Ingrid’s mother. Ingrid is a 23-month-old girl from Guatemala who is acutely malnourished. “She is much too small for her age since she has not had access to a diverse and caloric diet,” explains our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK).
“Her diet has not only made her unable to gain weight, but has left her immune system too weak to fight off illnesses such as diarrhea, fevers, and cough–which can be lethal in a child like Ingrid that has a compromised immune system.” WK goes on to say, “Ingrid’s mother is worried because she noticed that she gets sick more often than the other children in the neighborhood.”
Indigenous Guatemalans are one of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the world. They live in rural areas and suffer from high rates of food insecurity. The poorest indigenous Guatemalan villages have the highest rates of stunting in the world.
$512 will fund a multifaceted treatment for Ingrid’s malnutrition. WK explains, “This treatment will greatly improve Ingrid’s quality of life. She will receive food supplementation, deworming medication, growth monitoring, and micronutrients that will help her grow and develop healthily. Ingrid’s parents will also receive intense nutrition education so they feel empowered to give her the varied diet she needs.”
Ingrid is the youngest of five children. She loves to play with her older siblings and her older sister’s doll. Let’s help her get back track so that she can reach a positive growth trajectory.
