Meet Gloria, a three-year-old girl from Uganda who is one of six children. “When she is feeling good, Gloria likes to sing and play with others in the village,” shares our medical partner, The Kellermann Foundation.
Gloria’s severe malnutrition and respiratory infection cause her to feel tired and weak. In addition, she also has a severe case of edema—a condition characterized by fluid build-up in the tissues of the body—resulting in swelling and discomfort.
In Uganda, 14% of children under age five are underweight and 33% of children under age five are stunting—a condition marked by one’s “height for age” value falling below the fifth percentile on a growth curve. Although Uganda has made strong economic progress in the last decade, food security continues to be a challenge for nearly a third of all households.
“Gloria is very uncomfortable and irritable,” explains our medical partner. “She needs nutritional help to prevent the long term impacts of malnutrition such as stunting and cognitive impairment. Her mother and father will also need to receive nutritional counseling so they know how to prepare healthy meals at home.”
$350 will fund the nutritional help that Gloria needs.
Gloria’s parents, Sylvan and Buzare, are farmers who grow millet, beans, cassava, and potatoes. “I am looking forward to going home and planting seeds to grow nutritious food for my family,” Gloria’s father says. “Thank you so much for the help.”