GUERLANDE

She is 6 months old and weighs 6 pounds.  She is a twin (see picture below).  Her parents had both lost their spouses over the years and had this set of twins late in life.  They carried the kids down from their village, which was a 5 hourwalk, one way.   She has 7 living siblings.  The family of 10 lives in a 2 room home made of clay, rocks and tin.  They do not have running water at their house or a flush toilet, not even and outhouse.   The family gets their water from a source that is about a 30 minute walk from their home.  The family has gardens where they grow corn, beans, and sweet potatoes.  The mother tells us Guerlande has had diarrhea, vomiting, and fever for 3 months.  She has been feeding her smashed up crackers and bean sauce.    She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

WILSON

He is 13 months old and weighs 17 pounds.  Several of those pounds are caused from the swelling due to kwashiorkor.  He came from a village that is about a 1 hour tap-tap and moto ride away from the clinic.  His mama is pregnant and most people will not breastfeed when they are pregnant here in Haiti.  The father has a garden where he grows bananas ans beans.  They live in a 1 room home made of block and tin.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, they do have an outhouse.  The closest water source is about a 30 minute walk from their home.  Wilson does not have a good appetite to eat much food.  The day he was admitted he has not had anything to eat.  The day before he had beans sauce.  In the past week he has not have any meat, milk , or protein in his diet.  He was started on the F-75 Therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba.

STEEVE

He is 2 years old and weighs 20 pounds.  His feet, legs, and cheeks are swollen from kwashiorkor.  He is an only child.  His mama and papa live in a one room home made from tarp and sticks.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, they do have an outhouse.  The day that he was admitted he did not have anything to eat that day.  His mama says he asks for meat everyday to eat but she cannot afford it.  He was started of the F-75 therapeutic milk and the graduated to the medika mamba program.

WEED (Wed)

He is 11 months old and weighs 11 pounds.  He was admitted with a 105 temp and was a very sick.  Weed was in an outpatient medika mamba program with Bread to the Nations but become increasing ill and was referred to us.  His mama died a few months ago and an aunt has been caring for him.  The family of 5 live in a 1 room home made of block and tin.  They do not have running water or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  The day that he was admitted he had  not had anything to eat but had only been drinking water.  The day before he ate some medika mamba.  He was started on medications an the F-therapeutic milk and then graduated back to the medika mamba program.

JONALSON

He is 22 months old and weighs 18 pounds.  He papa brought him down to the clinic from their village that is about a 6 hour walk one way.  His mama is sick with a thorn in her foot and cannot walk.  The family of 5 live in a 4 room home made of block , cement, and tin.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet or even and outhouse.  The get their water from a river that runs in front of their home.  Jonalson has been sick for over a month.  Besides the kwashiorkor, he has bloody diarrhea, fever and loss of appetite.  He was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba.

FEDNER

This is the third time he has been in our inpatient program.  He is currently 4 years old and weighs 24 pounds.  I would say at least 5 to 7 pounds of that will be “water weight” that he will loose from the kwashiorkor.  His grandpa carried him down the mountains for a 4 hour 1 way walk to make it to the clinic.    He has been with his grandpa for the past year.  His mama took him and his younger brother and left them at the grandpa’s house and they have not seen her since that day.  The grandpa says he tries his best to feed the kids, but he has nothing.  In the three days before he came to the clinic Fedner had coffee and bread each morning and nothing else the rest of those days. They did not have anything else at the home to eat.  The extended family of 10 live in a 2 room home made of rocks, tin and clay.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, not even an outhouse.  In fact they have to walk 3 hours one way to get drinking water.  3 hours.  When asked what he had to eat in the past week it was whatever food they could find.  A few plates of white rice and crackers were about it.  He was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba.

Fender after 1 week

GUILANCIA

She is 3 years old and weighs 21 pounds.  Her mother carried her to the clinic, which was a 5 hour walk from their home.   Her parents are both farmers and grow corn and beans in their garden.  The family of 3 live in a 2 room home made of rocks and tin.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  She has been swollen with kwashiorkor for 6 weeks now andis increasing getting worse. The day she was admitted she had not had anything to eat that day and the day before she had only milk to drink.  In the past week she has milk twice, rice twice and mangos twice. She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba.

Continued prayers appreciated for all the children that are here.