Gerardo is a seventeen-month-old boy from Guatemala. He is the only child in his family. He lives with his parents in a one-room house made of cinderblocks and a tin roof. Gerardo loves to walk around and bounce his ball, as well as play with his parents. His father works as a day laborer. His mother works at home taking care of Gerardo. as well as a janitor in the local school. Although they both want the best for their son, they cannot afford to give their son even one egg, fruit, or vegetable per day.
Gerardo is severely stunted: he is still the size of a healthy six month old. His parents are worried, because they have seen that other kids in the village are growing better than him, and that they don’t get sick as often as him. Since Gerardo is not getting a diet rich in protein, calories, and essential vitamins, his immune system lacks the fuel to fight off sicknesses that healthy children can get over quickly. If he does not receive treatment, he could face long-term consequences such as permanent physical and mental stunting, behavioral problems, and an increased risk of chronic diseases as an adult.
Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Gerardo recover from malnutrition. All of this treatment and medication costs $512. He will gain weight and grow taller to catch up with other children his age. His immune system will grow stronger with the increased caloric intake. This will further increase his appetite and help him use the extra calories to gain motor skills and learn new words instead of those calories being wasted on getting over frequent illnesses.
Gerardo’s parents will receive the support she needs to feel empowered to give him the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with limited resources. Intervention now will give Gerardo the chance to live a healthy and productive life and escape the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that made him sick in the first place.
“We dream that our son will become a doctor when he is big”, shared Gerardo’s mother.