20-month-old Angela lives with her parents in a one-room house in Guatemala, made of cinderblocks with a tin roof. Her mother works at home, taking care of Angela, cooking, and cleaning. Her father works as a farmer, only making a couple dollars per day by selling his corn and beans. Although they want the best for her, they cannot afford to give her even one piece of fruit, vegetable, or egg per day–making it impossible for her to overcome her malnutrition without treatment.
Angela has not been able to grow like she should. This is because she is suffering from malnutrition, a dangerous condition is caused by her parent’s inability to afford foods for her that are rich in protein, calories, and nutrients. Not only is her poor diet affecting her size, but it is weakening her immune system—making her sick almost constantly with a cold, fever, or diarrhea. If she does not receive treatment, she could face long-term consequences such as increased risk of chronic diseases, low IQ, and a higher likelihood of dropping out of school.
Growth monitoring, micronutrients and food supplementation will help Angela recover from malnutrition. She will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children her age. Her immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase her appetite and help her use the extra calories to develop mentally instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent bouts of diarrhea.
Her parents will receive the support they need to feel empowered to give Angela the diet she needs to grow and develop healthily, even with their limited resources. Intervention now will prevent the future devastating effects of malnutrition, and give Angela the chance to live a healthy and productive life, finish school, get a good job, and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made her sick in the first place.
