Stanley, a 33-month-old boy, arrived at the clinic in critical condition, suffering from severe kwashiorkor. For the two weeks before his arrival, he had been battling diarrhea, coughing, and a persistent fever. Stanley is part of a large family with three sisters and three brothers. They all live together with his mother and maternal grandmother in a two-room home made of tin and tarp. The family faces numerous challenges, as their home lacks running water and a flush toilet, relying instead on an outhouse for sanitation. They obtain their water from a nearby piped source. Stanley’s grandmother, was concerned for his health, and made the 30-minute journey on foot to bring him to the clinic. Upon arrival, Stanley was immediately started on F-75 therapeutic milk to stabilize his condition. As he began to show signs of improvement, he was transitioned to the Medika Mamba program, which provided him with the necessary nutrition to aid in his recovery.
Dawens is a nine year old male and has been a familiar face at our clinic since he was a small baby, participating in several of our inpatient and outpatient programs for malnutrition. Currently, he lives with his paternal grandmother in a four-room home made of woven sticks and clay, covered with a tin roof. The home lacks running water and a flush toilet but has an outhouse for sanitation. They get their water from a piped water system about three minutes away. Dawens’ father works as a taxi motorcycle driver, and the family supplements their income by growing corn, beans, and bananas in their gardens, which they sell at open-air markets. About six weeks ago, Dawens fell and broke his arm. Unfortunately, the family did not seek proper medical care initially, and the arm healed incorrectly. We were able to arrange for an orthopedic surgeon to perform the necessary operation to fix his arm. Due to the need for daily dressing changes, Dawens is currently staying at our center to ensure he receives the proper care and attention during his recovery.
Dawenso and his mother, Sophia, were recently admitted to our inpatient USN program. Dawenso had been losing weight and experiencing diarrhea for five days, with glucose levels below normal. As an only child, Dawenso and his mother live in a one-room home with her parents. Their home lacks running water and a flush toilet, but they have an outhouse for sanitation. They get their water from a nearby source. The journey to our clinic was not easy; they traveled for two hours on a motorcycle to reach us. Dawenso’s height-to-weight ratio indicates he is at -2 SD for malnutrition. Upon admission, our priority was to work with Sophia to establish breastfeeding and closely monitor Dawenso’s fragile state.
In addition to Dawenso’s health issues, Sophia herself is unwell, with swollen legs and feet and a fever.
Wadlensky, a 14-month-old boy, weighs just 15 pounds and is suffering from severe malnutrition. His condition has led to edema in his feet and ankles due to kwashiorkor, and he is at -4 SD for height-to-weight ratio. When he was admitted to the USN, he had a fever and a cold, further complicating his severe malnutrition.
Wadlensky lives with his sister and parents in a home built from cinder block and cement, covered with a tin roof. They do not have running water or a flush toilet, but they do have an outhouse. The family gets their water from a nearby piped system. They traveled three hours by motorcycle to reach our clinic, hoping for a chance to improve Wadlensky’s health. Upon admission, Wadlensky was started on F-75 therapeutic milk to stabilize his condition. He has since been transferred to the medika mamba program.
Gemsley, a 17-month-old boy, arrived at the clinic severely malnourished, weighing just 16 pounds with 3+ edema from kwashiorkor. He had been sick for several months, suffering from fever, cough, and swelling for the past eight days. His mother had died from suspected TB, and he now lives with his maternal aunt in a small, three-room home made of rocks and tin. The family has no running water or flush toilet, relying on an outhouse and walking an hour to access water.
The family’s average monthly income is only $57, and before his admission to the clinic, Gemsley had not eaten anything, having only soup the day before. The journey to the clinic was long—four hours on foot. Upon arrival, he was immediately started on F-75 therapeutic milk and later transitioned to Medika Mamba to aid in his recovery.