Meet Caroline, a playful four-year-old girl from Uganda. Our medical partner, the Kellermann Foundation (KF), tells us: “Caroline is the third of four children. She loves to play with her siblings when she is well.”
Caroline has acute malnutrition – a condition that occurs when the body absorbs fewer nutrients than it needs to be healthy.
Linked with her malnutrition, Caroline also has diarrhea and edema. Her doctor explains, “Malnutrition or diarrhea alone can have a detrimental impacts on childhood growth and cognitive development. Together they are even more dangerous.”
To support their large family, Caroline’s mother keeps a vegetable garden and creates mats to sell within their community. Her father works as a lumberjack. However, their combined income is not enough to cover the cost of Caroline’s treatment.
For $375, Caroline will be treated for malnutrition–simultaneously resolving her related symptoms. During her ten days at the hospital, Caroline will receive therapeutic milk, a nutrient-rich food supplement that will gradually restore essential nutrients to her diet.
This procedure will rebalance Caroline’s nutrition levels and strengthen her immune system. “Treatment will address diarrhea, malnutrition, and dehydration,” her doctor says. “After treatment, Caroline will return to normal growth and development patterns.”
“I am thankful for your support and feel very fortunate. I wish all children could be helped like this,” Caroline’s mother shares.