Jerome is a 20-month-old boy from the Philippines. He lives with his family in his grandparents’ house. His father works as a farmer, but he has difficulty providing for his family. As a result, Jerome is shorter and lighter than other children his age.
Jerome has been diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition. He began $268 malnutrition treatment on October 21. He 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.
“We hope he will become healthy and strong,” say Jerome’s parents.
