“I want to have what’s necessary to provide a good diet to Dany, so he will grow like he should for his age,” shares the mother of 10-month-old Dany.
Dany lives with his four siblings and his parents in a small home in a rural community in the Guatemalan highlands. Dany’s family is very humble and lacks the resources to buy much more than corn tortillas to eat. His mother takes care of the children, cooks, and cleans, and weaves traditional Mayan blouses, which she sells. His father looks for firewood in the mountains, and then makes charcoal to sell. Although Dany is malnourished, he is a very smiley child, and loves to play with teddy bears with his sister. His favorite food is beans, although his family rarely has the resources to give them to him.
Dany is having a hard time growing, and now has acute malnutrition because his family is unable to give him the diet he needs to be healthy. For this reason, Dany is far too small for his age and his immune system has weakened from the lack of protein, calories, and nutrients. Since Dany’s immune defenses are compromised, getting sick with a cough, diarrhea, or fever could be life-threatening. In the long term, he could face stunted neurodevelopment, low IQ, and increased risk of chronic diseases if his malnutrition is not treated.
Although Dany is very sick, treatment for his malnutrition is simple. For $512, his parents will receive in-home nutrition classes to teach them about what diet Dany needs to be healthy. He will be a part of Wuqu’ Kawoq’s growth monitoring program and will receive food supplements and micronutrients to improve his diet. This treatment will give Dany the chance to be a healthy baby, helping him grow, strengthen his immune system, and helping him avoid life-threatening seizures and diarrhea.
