Six-month-old Naylens weighs just 10 pounds. He lives with his parents, sister, and two brothers in a small four-room house made of cinder blocks, with a tin roof. The family has no running water—only a hand pump about 30 minutes away—and an outhouse behind their home.
Life has not been easy for them. Two of Naylens’ siblings passed away from vomiting and diarrhea. His parents do their best to care for the others, but their average income is only about $10 a month, hardly enough to meet even the most basic needs.
When Naylens arrived at the clinic, he had been suffering from kwashiorkor for several weeks, with swelling, a cough, and a fever that had lasted for a week. His mother said he hadn’t eaten anything the day before and had only one small pack of cookies the day prior. It was the second time he had battled kwashiorkor. His parents traveled for over an hour by motorcycle and on foot to reach the clinic. He was started on F-75 theraputic milk and then on to medika mamba.
Dorwensley, just 20 months old, arrived at our clinic weak and swollen from severe malnutrition and kwashiorkor. His mother had traveled three hours by motorcycle taxi to reach us, searching for help after trying everything she knew to help her son get better.
Dorwensley lives with his mother, two brothers, and grandparents in a small two-room home made of sticks with a tin roof. The family has no running water, walking an hour to the nearest source, and they use an outhouse. His mother sells street food—fried bananas, hotdogs, and pork—earning about $60 a month. She does her best to provide for her children, but resources are scarce.
Before arriving, Dorwensley had only eaten a small bowl of soup that day, and porridge the day before. His father, who practices traditional healing, had given the mother a remedy to rub on his body, believing it would help his malnutrition. But his condition continued to worsen.
Dorwensley was immediately started on F-75 therapeutic milk to stabilize him, followed by Medika Mamba.
Dickenson is a 17-year-old boy who came to the clinic after being referred from another health center. He weighed only 66 pounds — and had been sick for months, barely eating. He was already showing early signs of kwashiorkor. He lives with both of his parents, three sisters, and five brothers. Sadly, three of his other siblings passed away from malnutrition. His parents farm corn and beans to earn a living, and the family all shares a small two-room house made of tin and bricks. They don’t have running water or a toilet, and they get their water from a small source just a minute from their home. To reach the clinic, they traveled for about eight hours, walking and taking public transportation. Even with the long trip, they came hoping he could finally get the help he needed.
Fanel is a 5-year-old boy who was referred to us from another clinic. He weighs just 10.1 kg — about 22 pounds — and has a -4SD rating with early signs of kwashiorkor.
He lives with his mom, three sisters, and two brothers. One of his siblings passed away from kwashiorkor, so the family knows how serious this is. They all share a small two-room house made of rocks with a tin roof. There’s no running water, no toilet, not even an outhouse. They walk about five minutes to the nearest water source.
Fanel hadn’t eaten anything the day he arrived, and the day before he only had a few crackers. His family earns around $38 a month, so food is hard to come by.
He started treatment right away with F-75 milk and then moved to Medika Mamba.
Kencia is a 5-year-old girl who’s been living with a colostomy bag for several years. We’ve been trying to find a hospital that can reverse it, but it’s been really hard to get her the surgery she needs in Haiti right now. She lives with her mom and one sister. Her mom sells jewelry to support the family, doing the best she can. Their home is a small one-room structure made of sticks and tin. They don’t have running water or a flush toilet, but they do have an outhouse. The family gets their water from a nearby basin.