Denjie is a ten-month-old boy from the Philippines. He lives with his parents and six siblings. Denjie’s father is a farmer, but he does not earn enough to support the family. His mother takes care of the family. Without nutritious meals, Denjie is living with moderately acute malnutrition.
Denjie began $184 malnutrition treatment on October 19.
Denjie is being treated by International Care Ministries (ICM), a Watsi medical partner. One out of five children under five in ICM communities is either severely or moderately acutely malnourished. Worldwide, poor nutrition is associated with nearly half of all deaths in young children. In remote communities and urban slums of the Philippines, the lack of clean water and unclean environments add risk to potentially fatal childhood diseases.
ICM’s Home-Based Feeding program provides nutrient-enriched food packs to ensure malnourished children get additional food to regain normal weight and achieve optimum physical and mental development. After identifying a child as malnourished, staff and community volunteers make weekly visits to monitor this child’s progress. To help sustain the health of the child, ICM’s professional staff educate the mother, guardian, or other family members about proper nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and organic vegetable gardening.
“I hope my son, Denjie, recovers fast from malnutrition and grows up with strong faith in the Lord,” says Denjie’s mother. She also hopes that he “finishes his studies and has a good job.”
