Jonel first came to RHFH in Oct of 2016. He was very sick and needed to be admitted for inpatient care. He was 15 years old and weighed 38 pounds at that time. He was enrolled in our outpatient mamba program but instead of gaining weight, he was losing weight on the program so he was admitted into our inpatient care. He has 4 brothers and 1 sibling that died from a fever. His dad is farmer and grows beans, corn and pumpkin. His mom buys items in bulk and resells them. The whole family lives in a 1 room house made of tin and tarp. They do not have running water for a toilet however they do have an outhouse. They get their water from a pump that is 5 minutes away. Jonel stayed in our inpatient care facility for several months while he recovered and healed it was amazing to see the change in him. He gained 21 pounds during his stay. He returned home with his family at that time.

We saw him on and off for a few years and he seemed to be well some months and other months was skinny and sick again. His siblings had moved away and it was just him and his mom most of the time. His mom did her best to provide food for both of them. She had a table where she sold crackers and candy to make a little money to be able to eat. But it was not enough. He was again started on the outpatient medika mamba program. Due to his age we are unable to keep him with the children in the Rescue Center (that will change once we build up on the new land!!!!). Each week when he returned for his appointments he was worse. A staff member offer for him to stay at his home so he could be closer to the clinic and so we could better watch what he was eating each day. It took a lot longer for him to recover this time. There were a few weeks when we did not know if he would live or die. But by the grace of God he lived. He is now living with a former foster child here in Cazale. They are room mates and friends. He is continuing with his school work and also staying healthy. His mom is also doing well and they visit often.