Benson is an 11-month-old little boy who came to us very weak and sick. He was diagnosed with severe malnutrition (kwashiorkor) and was measuring at –3 SD. He also had a persistent cough and cold symptoms that worried his parents.
Benson’s family lives in a small three-room home made of rocks and covered with a tin roof. There is no running water, no flush toilet, and not even an outhouse. To get water, the family must walk about 30 minutes to the nearest local water source. Benson has one sister and two brothers who share this very simple space with him.
His father is a farmer who works hard growing roots, corn, millet, and beans. His mother tries to help support the family by buying items like rice, sugar, spinach, and other greens in bulk and reselling them. Even with both parents working in these ways, the family’s average monthly income is only about $57 USD.
Before bringing Benson to the clinic, his parents did everything they knew to do. They shared that he had a little milk the day before coming, along with some fried pastry. They also gave him herbal tea, hoping it would help with his malnutrition.
When Benson arrived at the clinic, it was clear he needed urgent care, proper nutrition, and close monitoring. He was started on F-75 therauptic milk and then to medika mamba.
Lorkenson was collecting water for his family when he fell from a water irrigation ditch nearly two stories high, breaking both his arm and leg. His parents are farmers who grow beans, corn, and millet to provide for their family. Lorkenson has one brother and one sister, and the family has also endured the loss of one child. They live in a small two-room home made of clay and sticks with a tin roof. The home has no running water, flush toilet, or outhouse. Water is collected from a river or source about a 30-minute walk away. To receive medical care, Lorkenson traveled three hours by motorcycle taxi to the clinic. He is staying there to receive daily dressing changes and attend doctor appointments more easily. The family’s average monthly income is $76.
Maycedonia arrived at the clinic after a long six-hour journey by motorcycle taxi. She was only three months old and struggling to breathe, with dangerously low oxygen levels. The medical team immediately placed her on oxygen and began medications. At just 7.5 pounds, Maycedonia was also malnourished. Her mother stayed faithfully by her side throughout her care.
Maycedonia has one brother. Her parents are farmers who grow corn, beans, millet, and rice. To help support the family, her mother also buys charcoal, oranges, and avocados in bulk to resell for a small profit. The family lives in a two-room home made of sticks and clay with a tin roof. They have no running water or toilet and walk an hour to collect water. Before coming, they sought traditional remedies for her illness.
Yvenson is an 11-month-old boy admitted to the clinic weighing 18 pounds with severe malnutrition, diagnosed as 3+ kwashiorkor and a -2 SD rating. He had nightly fevers for a week and a fungal infection on his skin. His parents are farmers who grow beans, corn, and millet, and Yvenson is their only child.
They live in a four-room home made of rocks and clay with a tin roof. The family has no running water or flush toilet, but they do have an outhouse. Water must be carried from a source two hours away. His mother stopped breastfeeding at three months old. On admission day, he had been given milk and baby food. The family earns about $50 per month and walked just over two hours to reach the clinic. Yvenson began treatment with F-75 therapeutic milk and later Medika Mamba.