They saved my girls
It is estimated that 2.5 million people in Niger are chronically food-insecure and unable to meet their basic food requirements even during years of average agricultural production. The situation of children is of particular concern, because one in eight children never reaches the age of five and 42 percent of children are chronically malnourished. In 2014, UNICEF reported that, the national prevalence of global acute malnutrition (GAM) among children 6-59 months reached 14.8 percent nationwide, exceeding the emergency threshold of 15 percent in four of eight regions of the country. Zeinabou Saley, 25 year old mother for 3 children ( 2 girls and one boy) from ITA village (6 kilometers from Mayara) in Goulbin Kaba World Vision Niger Area Development Program is among the parents that gone through the unhappy experience of having children stuffing from malnutrition.
One year ago Salima age 6 (Zeinabou oldest daughter) was very ill, with vomit and diarrhea, when her mother took her to Mayara Integrated health center the doctor said that Salima was suffering from Malnutrition. “I was very worried and couldn’t understand why, for me God had put a curse on my girl. I could never link her illness with the lack of good food, at the center they treat Salima and they said that I need to feed her beans, vegetables and fruits. But at the time I didn’t take serious the doctor’s advice” Says Zeinabou looking down
“In the past I used to cook only what I had and we used to eat once a day, my children used to go to bed starving and the girls used to cry all night before falling at sleep. It used to be very difficult for me to see my girls sleep hungry”. Says Zeinabou hugging little Manira
Two months ago Salima’s younger sister Manira age 3 fell ill with fever. This time Zeinabou didn’t want to take any chances, So with her husband's permission she rush with the little one to the local health post, but the medial staff there refer them to Mayara Integrated health center. Where little Manira was treated. “I remember that people from Mayara health center, come to our village to talk to women about health issues. So when Salima got ill, I took her directly to Mayara health center. At the Mayara center they give us the Plumpy'nut (a peanut-based paste to treatment severe acute malnutrition and sugar soya flour mixt with oil) and showed me how to feed Manira. After few days Manira changed, she was herself again, eating well and playing with her older sister Salima” Says Zeinabou with a smelling
“Today I cook the millet paste with beans and tomato and we eat three times a day. As you can see my two girls have all the energy in the world. “Says Zeinabou pointing at the girls. “After what I have been through with the girls, I always advice my friends to feed their children quality food and to take them children to the health center if they felt ill.” Says Zeinabou holding both girls
“ My God bless, the people who work at health center and the people who support the health center in Mayara. They saved my girls!” Says Zeinabou gracefully
Amadou Mamane, 37 year old, Head Nurse at Mayara Integrated health center, Says”Today mothers are ready to walk 15 kilometers to bring their little ones to the center, something has changed. The community health volunteers support trained by World Vision , increased the number of malnutrition cases treated at the center for example in the last quarter of 2014 (Oct, Nov, Dec) 475 children have been treated with severe, acute and moderate malnutrition, in 2015 first quarter the center treated 599 children. This means that the volunteers are able to detect more cases to be treated, because they are based in the communities”
Although this is a good news, the center lacks resources to implement preventable programs, which will to stop children from becoming malnourish in the first place. The 10 community health volunteers that support the children screening process for signs of malnutrition, cover 8 local health post in 98 villages (with a population of 58, 994). World Vision financial support to the initiative will end December 2014. World Vision Niger trained and pays an incentive of 5.000cfa (8.00 USD) to each volunteer every month.
According, to Siradji Garba World Vision Health and Nutrition specialist from Goulbin Kaba Area Development Program, malnutrition can only be eradicated if, more prevention programs are implemented. "First of all we need to promote the use of local vegetables like the beans, carrots, cabbage, Moringa leaves and edible Acacia seeds, encourage breastfeeding through mother to mother supports groups in communities, support children vaccination through government mobile clinics and by provided (supplements vitamin A,B,C and iron) to children 0 to 59 months" Says Siradji