Marvensky is an 11-month-old baby who arrived at RHFH weighing just 11 pounds and suffering from severe malnutrition, measuring -4 standard deviations for his age. He had no edema from kwashiorkor, but he was also experiencing diarrhea, dehydration, fever, and cold symptoms.

Marvensky is an only child. His father is a farmer who grows corn to support the family. They live in a small one-room home made of brick and clay with a tin roof. There is no running water or flush toilet, and the family must walk about 10 minutes to reach their water source. They live on approximately $40 a month.

When Marvensky was admitted, he had eaten nothing that day. The day before, he had only eaten baby food. During the previous week, he had not received meat or other sources of protein. His family traveled about two hours by motorcycle taxi to reach RHFH. When he arrived, our team quickly began the medications and nutritional treatment he needed. He was started on F-75 therapeutic milk and, as he became stronger, will transition to Medika Mamba.

Joziane is a 13-year-old girl who was enjoying a normal day at home when an unexpected accident changed everything.

Her parents were cooking, as families do every day in Haiti, using an open fire fueled by wood or charcoal. While they were preparing food, Joziane fell into the cooking pot and suffered burns to her face and arm. Her family believes she may have experienced a seizure just before the accident. Joziane lives about six hours from our clinic, requiring a journey by motorcycle and walking. After the accident, she was referred to RHFH by another ministry so she could receive the ongoing care she needed.

Burn injuries can require careful treatment and regular dressing changes as the skin heals. Because Joziane’s burns involve her face and arm, our medical team will closely monitor her recovery. Joziane will remain at RHFH so our staff can provide daily wound care until her injuries have healed.

Geralsonder is a 13-month-old little boy who arrived at RHFH weighing just 15 pounds and suffering from moderate malnutrition, measuring -2 standard deviations for his age. He also had 1+ edema from kwashiorkor, along with diarrhea, dehydration, fever, and cold symptoms.

Geralsonder is an only child. His father is a farmer who grows corn to provide for the family. They live in a small one-room home made of brick and clay with a tin roof. There is no running water or flush toilet, and the family walks about 10 minutes to reach their water source. They live on approximately $40 a month. When Geralsonder was admitted, he had eaten nothing that day. The day before, he had only eaten baby food. During the previous week, he had not eaten meat or other sources of protein.

His family traveled approximately two hours by motorcycle taxi to reach our clinic. When he arrived, our medical team began the medications and nutritional treatment he needed. Geralsonder was started on F-75 therapeutic milk and will transition to Medika Mamba as his condition improves.

Widnica is a 15-month-old little girl who arrived at RHFH suffering from severe malnutrition. She weighed below -4 standard deviations for her age and also had long white intestinal worms. Thankfully, she did not have edema associated with kwashiorkor.

Widnica lives with her mother and one sibling. Her father is in the Dominican Republic, and her mother works hard growing beans and corn to support the family. They live in a small two-room house made of rocks and tin, without running water or a flush toilet. Their water source is a 15-minute walk from their home. The family survives on about $38 a month.

When Widnica became sick, her family first sought help from a traditional healer because they did not believe her condition was something a doctor could treat. When she did not improve, she was referred to RHFH. Reaching our clinic took approximately eight hours by motorcycle taxi, taxi, and walking. When Widnica arrived, she had eaten nothing that day and had only eaten soup the day before. She had received almost no protein during the previous week. Our team immediately began treatment with F-75 therapeutic milk and later transitioned her to Medika Mamba. Her mother is staying beside her throughout her recovery.

Jaline is a 28-month-old little girl who arrived at RHFH weighing just 19 pounds and suffering from severe malnutrition. She had 3+ edema caused by kwashiorkor, a serious form of malnutrition that can cause swelling in the body.

Jaline lives with her parents and seven surviving siblings. Sadly, five of her siblings have died. Her parents are both farmers who grow millet, beans, and corn to support their large family. They live in a small two-room home made of rocks, clay, and tin. There is no running water or flush toilet. Their water source is a 20-minute walk from their home. The family lives on approximately $57 a month. When Jaline became sick, her parents had very little food available. She ate only soup the day she was admitted and the day before. During the previous week, she had not eaten meat or other sources of protein.

Jaline was referred to RHFH from another clinic. Her family traveled approximately eight hours by motorcycle taxi, taxi, and walking to reach us. Our team immediately began treatment with F-75 therapeutic milk. As Jaline became stronger, she was transitioned to Medika Mamba. Her mother is staying with her throughout her recovery.