Just in time :)

Benedicte and Jusline at Jusline's home place.
Thursday, April 27, 2023

Mobile clinics save children's lives! And farming keeps them healthy.

THE STORY CONTINUES AFTER "SINCE 2020 YOUR GIFTS IN DRC HAVE..."

Since 2020 your gifts in DRC have...

  • Delivered more than 40 tonnes of therapeutic foods to help save children's lives
  • Reached 4,000 children in six key health areas in Binza
  • Set up 185 care groups including supporting & resourcing 2,231 women

 

Are you ready for this amazing smile? Click Here!

 

The bigger story...

Jusline's mother, Zaninka had tried everything, nothing was working.

Her extremely malnourished child was fading, fast.

Then she heard about some people...

Those people happened to be a team of Childhood Rescue health & nutrition experts.

Nutritionist, Benedicte was in Binza, following up with children in our mobile health clinics.

It is here where she met Jusline, thankfully, it was just in time

Benedicte holds Jusline in one of their first meetings. Barely able to walk, with exceedingly swollen feet and painful sores, the initial two weeks of therapeutic milk and food saw her body respond and begin healing with encouraging results.
Benedicte holds Jusline in one of their first meetings. Barely able to walk, with exceedingly swollen feet and painful sores, the initial two weeks of therapeutic milk and food saw her body respond and begin healing with encouraging results.

 

Jusline is now 7 years old. She had suffered from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) since she was 5 years old.

Many children in the Binza region suffer from varying degrees of malnutrition.

A lack of healthcare, community education and nutritious food sources means many children have stunted growth, left untreated, it can severely affect their future, both physically and mentally.

At the age of 6, Jusline was supposed to start school.

Excited to join the other 'big' girls her disappointment was heartbreaking, as her two years of malnutrition meant she was physically and mentally not ready.

Jusline is now, just one of the girls... her body is healing and growing well. She can walk, run and play like the other children :)
Jusline is now, just one of the girls, her body is healing and growing well. She can walk, run and play like the other children :)

 

Benedicte recalls meeting Jusline.

"Her hair was discoloured and brittle. There was swelling of the tissues on her lower and upper limbs, and Jusline displayed the worst forms of malnutrition. Her friends all looked taller and healthier. They were also mentally more alert than her, despite the fact that they were all the same age."

"The first day I met her, I referred her immediately to Nyamilima General Hospital because Jusline's symptoms presented as a complicated form of severe acute malnutrition. She needed therapeutic milk and foods to address her basic and urgent needs, which then allowed for the further complications to be medically managed."

Healthy feet, and healing legs. Jusline can now play with the other children and is looking forward to finally starting school, where she will walk, just like the other big girls to school.
Healthy feet, and healing legs. Jusline can now play with the other children and is looking forward to finally starting school, where she will walk, just like the other big girls to school.

 

Upon her healthy recovery, Benedicte continues to visit Jusline's home to check on her, as she and the team do for all children in recovery.

Beyond providing therapeutic foods and milk to help children survive, families need access to ongoing sustainable fresh and nutritious food.

To help provide this, Childhood Rescue facilitates community care groups.

The forming and resourcing of local care groups enable mothers and women to learn how to farm and grow their own food.

It has been extremely successful and is a key initiative in the bigger strategy to help children and Binza communities survive and build a future in the often food scarce region.

Jusline & Benedicte have developed a special bond. Our staff work in the world's most dangerous and complex places because they believe in our collective ability to greatly impact the lives of children and communities. This is more than a job for staff like Benedicte.
Jusline & Benedicte have developed a special bond. Our staff work in the world's most dangerous and complex places because they believe in our collective ability to greatly impact the lives of children and communities. This is more than a job for staff like Benedicte.

 

"I have now joined the care group to learn how to prepare balanced meals and grow our own vegetable gardens. This helps to ensure that my family's food intake is balanced for my children's needs,’’ says Zaninka, Mother of Jusline.

As for Jusline, she has regained her infectious smile.

She is excited to finally put on her school uniform and walk with her friends each morning to school.

Your gifts truly helped Jusline, survive, recover and now, begin to build a future.

Fragile Context Health DRC