John Kurt is a 1-year-old boy from the Philippines. Both of his parents are fishermen. Their seaside house does not have access to water and electricity. For this reason, they mostly drink rainwater. John Kurt loves to play with his toys, especially with his parents.
John Kurt is malnourished. He will be treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under 5 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 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.
“I hope that John Kurt recovers his health and that he grows up strong,” said John Kurt’s mother. “Also I hope he finishes his studies so that he’ll be able to get a nice job.”
