Despite being thin and weak from malnutrition, four-year-old Alexa loves to play with other children. She lives with her parents in a small, bamboo house in the Philippines. Alexa’s mother is a housekeeper, while her father runs a small shop.
Alexa has been diagnosed with moderately acute malnutrition. Malnutrition threatens Alexa’s growth and development and could even be fatal if not addressed. Fortunately, she will begin $184 malnutrition treatment on February 20.
Alexa 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.
Alexa’s mother says, “I hope Alexa recovers from malnutrition and becomes strong and healthy, so she can finish school.”
