Please meet some of the little ones in our Malnourished Program. First a little history…
Hope for the Island started feeding severely malnourished children one healthy meal per day in 2013. We anticipated success and the results have been incredible. We have always fed children healthy meals on our weekly outreaches because many kids are under nourished. However, for the severely malnourished, we needed to step it up and fast.
Sadly, with no intervention many children will continue to suffer. Deprived of nutrition, these kids are susceptible to other health complications that can be life threatening.
The need for this program became clear during follow up visits we had with the pregnant women who were part of our Prenatal Care program. When visiting these villages, we started hearing stories of kids whose basic needs were neglected. As we sought out more information, we were led to some homes where we encountered precious children in such horrific conditions.
There was no time to be frustrated, angry or cast blame, rather pray how the Lord would have us help these children recover and be healthy. Rural health Units (RHU) submit to us a list of kids in their vicinity that are in the greatest need. We go out each week to bring supplies of food and take time to care for and counsel these families. We currently receive a soup mix supply donated from Canada that has 16 varieties of nutritious veggies. Along with the soup mix we provide seasonal produce from our organic farm, rice and a milk supplement for each severely malnourished child.
Before a child is taken off this program, we make sure they are healthy and the parents are more equipped to care for and feed their children. Their recovery can take from 4-8 months depending on the circumstances surrounding the child’s condition. With the help of dedicated Barangay health Workers (BHW), the children’s weight and home environment is monitored regularly. For some of these kids it is their first time eating veggies, so it takes time and persistence to help their bodies adjust to a proper balanced diet.
The cost per child is $30 CAD per month. If you would like to help feed a child for one year or one month DONATE HERE
