Fifteen-month-old Madelin is a happy baby girl who lives with her parents in Guatemala. She enjoys running and playing, eating fruit of all kinds, and playing with the flowers that her grandmother sometimes puts behind her ears.
Our medical partner, Wuqu’ Kawoq (WK), shares that Madelin is malnourished. “Madelin is sick often – diarrhea and vomiting - and at the same time she is losing a lot of weight. If intervention does not occur, she will continue to lose weight and will be at risk of dehydration and death as well as the long term risks of malnutrition.”
Madelin’s father, who works as farmer whenever work is available, does not earn enough money to afford sufficient food and medical care for Madelin. “Neither of us have any education,” her parents say. “We can’t get a good enough job to earn enough money for our little girl.”
$535 will fund a diagnostic work and treatment for Madelin’s acute malnutrition.
“This treatment will supply Madelin with the growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and medication for her to recoup some of the weight and height she has lost, and increase her overall caloric intake,” WK explains. “Her parents will receive intensive nutrition education, thus building their confidence and ability to care for Madelin throughout her childhood.”

