Neymar is a ten-month-old boy from Guatemala. He has been diagnosed with acute malnutrition. This means he has little energy to grow, and his immune system is weak and vulnerable to illness. He is also at risk of chronic disease and delayed development. Fortunately, Neymar began malnutrition treatment on November 24, 2016.
Neymar loves to play with his toy cars. His favorite foods are cauliflower and broccoli. He lives with his family in a one-room adobe house with a tin roof. His father works as a day laborer on a local plantation. He cannot afford his son’s $512 treatment.
While malnutrition can have devastating effects, it is also very treatable. Growth monitoring, micronutrients, and food supplementation will help Neymar recover. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age, and his immune system will grow stronger. Community health workers will teach his mother about creating a nutrient-rich diet from limited resources. Treatment will give Neymar a chance to grow healthy and strong.
“This program is going to help me be able to give my son the foods he needs,” says Neymar’s mother, “so he can grow and develop better.”