Promoting Good Health for all Children

At 7 months old, Senti was acutely malnourished and underweight. His monthly health checks kept deteriorating. Doreen, his mother, has four other children, but for her baby boy Senti, things were not going well.

“My husband and I were unable to afford proper food during Senti’s pregnancy and birth. And postpartum, there was not enough food for all of us to eat well. I couldn’t eat and be filled and breastfeed him as well, so eventually, he started losing weight,” she says.

During one of the spot checks, Amina Ahadu, a volunteer with World Vision in Onga AP, noticed this baby boy. She promptly approached the mother, Doreen, and enrolled her in a care group.

"I was invited to join a care group when they saw how poorly Senti was. And for 21 days straight, they would help me cook healthy and nutritious foods. They taught me how to prepare good and nutritious meals using locally available foods," explains Doreen.

By the end of the 3 weeks, Doreen explains that Senti had picked up weight and was measuring in the correct range, and at 11 months, he is as healthy as ever.

"You wouldn't believe me if you saw him previously. His hair had started to fall off as well. But now look at him, he's so healthy and he has a full head of hair," beams Doreen.

Doreen is relieved that her child is now fine. The knowledge she gained has also helped her to care for her other children well. She encourages other families to receive the volunteers with an open mind to learn new and better ways of doing things.

“Key thing is to work hard; I have a dambo land (water logged land), where I grow vegetables. I work hard in my garden, and when I don’t have enough, I take on piece jobs to supplement income so that my children don’t go hungry. We have also been taught to find alternatives to resources. Now I have a backyard garden and I’ve planted some vegetables. I also planted fruit trees around our home; come a few years you’ll eat oranges and mangoes.”

Doreen is one of 250 people that have participated in care groups through the Community-led Complimentary Feeding and Learning Sessions (CCFLS) over last year and a half. CCFLS aims to enable households to improve their nutrition through high nutrient, low cost and available foods.