Gerson is a four-month-old baby boy from Guatemala. He lives with his parents and his older sister, who he loves to play with while his father is at work and his mother is weaving. His father works as a day laborer, harvesting crops on a large plantation by their small house. His mother takes care of Gerson and his sister. She also weaves traditional maya textiles to sell in the local market. Although they both work hard, they struggle to make ends meet, and cannot afford to give Gerson the high-calorie formula he needs to recover from malnutrition.
Gerson is only the size of a healthy one-month old. This is because he is suffering from acute malnutrition, a condition that results from not getting enough protein, calories, or vitamins. Although his mother is making enough milk now, she has not been able to help him gain weight. This has left Gerson with malnutrition, and a lifetime of consequences if he does not receive treatment.
Growth monitoring, micronutrient and food supplementation, and deworming medication will help Gerson recover from malnutrition. For $512, Gerson will receive the treatment he needs. 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 used to get over frequent illnesses. His mother will receive the support she needs to feel empowered to give Gerson the diet he needs to grow and develop healthily, even with limited resources. Intervention now will give Gerson the chance to live a healthy and productive life.
Gerson’s mother shared, “Thank you so much for the support that you will give to my son. Because with this treatment I hope that he will improve his development because I want to one day see my son as a good student and as a professional, with good opportunities in his life.”