DIMANIANA

She is 1 1/2 months old and weighs 4 pounds 10 ounces.  She was referred to us by Children’s Health Ministries.  She was in such bad shape that the staff traveled late on evening to arrive at the clinic because we did not think she would make it through the night.   The family has 1 other living child and 1 that died when it was a baby.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  They buy their water from a vendor that is about a 15 minute walk from their home. It took the staff about 3 hours to arrive at the clinic by motorcycle.  She had a IV placed and is doing well now.

 ANDRESON

He is 4 3/4 years old and weighs 31 pounds.  Both of his parents died this year within a few months of each other.  Since that time he has been with his older brother who is still a teenager.  He was been through a lot these past months that have involved much neglect and pain in his life.  He lives in a 4 room home made of rocks, tin and clay.  His mama had 7 children and 4 of those have died over the years.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, not even an outhouse.  The family gets their water from a source that is about a 5 minute walk from their home. He began showing signs of kwashiorkor about 2 weeks before coming to the clinic.  Many times families believe that the child has a “curse” that needs to be removed that is causing an illness.  This was the case for Andreson.  After spending money to get the curse removed and not seeing any improvements the family brought him to the clinic.  The day he was admitted he had nothing to eat and the day before he had some soup. The family traveled by foot for 3 hours to arrive at the clinic.  The family’s average monthly income is around $55US.  He was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

CHARMINE

She is 12 months old and weighs 13 pounds.  She failed her appetite test for the medika mamba and is in -3 degree stage of malnutrition and met the criteria for inpatient care. Her mama washes clothes for people for an income and her papa helps to build houses.  The family of 4 rents 1 room in their town to live in.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  They get their water from a hand pump that is near their home.  She has been showing signs of mild kwashiorkor for about 2 weeks now.  She also has diarrhea and fever.  The day she was admitted she had not had anything to eat and the day before she has some oatmeal.  The family’s average monthly income is around $33US. Her mama traveled 2 hours by motorcycle to arrive at the clinic. She was started on medications and F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

HANSLIE

She is 27 months old and weighs 16 pounds. She was on the outpatient medika mamba program for 1 week and got worse. She ate the mamba here at the clinic but her mama said once they got home she could not get her to eat the full amount for the day.  Her papa is a carpenter and her mama buys items in bulk and resells them for a profit.  The family of 6 lives in a 1 room home made of tin, clay and rocks.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, not even an outhouse.  They have to walk 2.5 hours to the nearest clean water source for drinking water.  She has been showing signs of kwashiorkor for over a month now.  The day she was admitted she had a plate of rice to eat and the day before she has a glass of milk.  The family believes that she is sick because there is not enough food for everyone to eat.  The family’s average monthly income is around $113US.  They traveled 3 hours by foot to arrive at the clinic.  She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

JILICIA

She is 11 months old and weighs 8 pounds.  She was referred to us by Children’s Health Ministries.  Her mama died when she was 2 months old her and her aunt has been caring for her since then.  She has been losing weight for several months now but started developing mild signs of kwashiorkor (in her feet) a few days ago.  She has only been eating baby food and soup.  The family has not had funds to be able to purchase infant formula for her.  The family of 5 lives in a one room that they rent.  The do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  They purchased their water from  a vendor that is about a 30 minute walk from their home.The family’s average monthly income is around $33US. She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

LONISE

She is 4 years old and weighs 27 pounds.  She was admitted to out outpatient program and given medika mamba to take home.  Her mama brought her back in a few days and said she could not get her to eat it and her swelling was worse.  She has been eating it well here since day 1.  Her parents are farmers and grow beans and corn in their gardens.  The family of 7 lives in a 2 room home made of tin, clay and rocks.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, not even an outhouse.  They get their water from a source that is near their home.  She has been having signs of kwashiorkor for about 1 month now.  Her mama believes that she has worms and this is making her have kwashiorkor.  She has treated her for worms 3 times and she has passed none.  The day she was admitted she has a banana to eat and the day before she had a plate of rice.  The family’s average monthly income is around $113US. They traveled by foot 4 hours 1 way to arrive at the clinic.

MAILLE

She is 26 months old and at her lowest weight was 17 pounds.  She was admitted with beginning signs of kwashiorkor and a very high fever.  Both of her parents are farmers and grow beans and grains in their gardens.The family of 6 lives in a 4 room home made of rocks, tin and clay.  They do not have running water in their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse. They get their water from a source from about 30 minutes from their home.  The day she was admitted she had a pack of crackers to eat and the day before she has a plate of rice. This family’s average monthly income is around $78US. They traveled by foot for 4 hours to arrive at the clinic.  She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

TCHARLY

She is 18 months old and her lowest weight weighted 14 pounds.  Her mama buys items in bulk and resells them for a profit and her papa is a motorcycle driver (does transportation like a taxi).  The family of 3 lives in a 2 room home make of rocks and tin.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, not even an outhouse.  They get their water from a source that is about 15 minutes from their home.  They day she was admitted she had nothing to eat and the day before she rice and soup.  This is the first time she has had kwashiorkor, she also has scabies, open weeping sores due to the pressure of the edema and fever.  The family’s  average monthly income is around $33US.  She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.

WENSON & WENSLOVE

These twins, a boy and a girl, were admitted at 4 pounds and 6 pounds 6 ounces. They were referred to us by Children’s Health Ministries There mama died shortly after they were born and the family had no one that was able to care for them.  The girl Wenslove is the smallest and has a NG tube in to make sure she is getting enough formula each day. Their papa is 60 yrs old and a farmer who grows beans and corn in his gardens. There are 6 other living siblings and 2 that died when they were babies. The family lives in a 2 room home made of cinder blocks, cement and tin.  They do not have running water at their home or a flush toilet, but do have an outhouse.  They traveled 5 hours by motorcycle and taxi to get to the clinic.   The family’s average monthly income is around $113US.

WANDIA

She is 3 years old and weighs 14 pounds.  Her mama abandoned her at her mothers house.  Her papa is the one who brought her to the clinic.  She is very small and malnourished for her age and has passed so many worms we have lost count.   Her papa works in building houses and has a small garden at his home where he grows beans and corn. There are 8 people living at the 2 room home that is made of rocks, tin and cement.   The day she was admitted she had juice and crackers to eat and the day before fish and rice.  Her papa lives about a 15 minute moto ride from the clinic.   The families average monthly income is around $65US.  She was started on the F-75 therapeutic milk and then graduated to the medika mamba program.