Princess is a playful four-year-old girl who loves to sing and dance. She lives her parents, who work on a small rubber plantation. Princess is malnourished and has thin arms and legs.
Malnutrition threatens Princess’s growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, she will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 23.
Princess will be 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 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.
Her mother says, “I hope my daughter recovers from malnutrition and finishes her studies.”
