Marbella is one year old, and is the second daughter in her family. She lives with her parents and older brother in an adobe house in Guatemala. Her mother works at home, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of Marbella. Her father is a day laborer in the fields, who often does not have work. While her mother is working, Marbella loves to play with plastic dishes and pretend to make food. Although her parents work hard, they do not have the resources for her to reach a healthy height and weight.
Marbella is suffering from malnutrition, meaning that she is much too small for her age. Not only has her physical growth been stunted, but she also has a weak immune system—in the past two weeks alone she has suffered from a cough and a high fever. Unfortunately, malnutrition also decreases her appetite–Marbella’s mother says that she almost never finishes the food she gives her, and that she gets tired quickly when she plays. If Marbella does not receive treatment, she could face the consequences of stunted mental and physical growth for the her the rest of her life, making it more likely that she will have lower-paying jobs as an adult and have children who are also malnourished.
Marbella will receive growth monitoring, food supplements, and deworming medication which will help her grow, develop healthily both mentally and physically, and overcome malnutrition. Her parents will receive nutrition education so they can learn how to best feed Marbella, even with the little resources they have. If she receives treatment now, she will be able to have normal mental and physical development. This treatment will give Marbella a better chance of escaping the cycle of malnutrition and poverty that she is caught in.
Her parents share, “We dream that our daughter can go to university.”
