By Garrett Kenyon
“Hopeless.” That’s how Neyis felt after each mealtime…after each new attempt to get her daughter, Lilibeth, to eat had ended in failure and she was left to clear yet another untouched plate from the table. “Ever since Lilibeth was born, she wouldn’t eat fruits, vegetables…none of that,” Neyis says. “We would sit at the table for hours.”
Convincing a reluctant child to eat can be challenging for any parent. But poverty complicates the problem. “Not having the money to buy nutritious foods made it more difficult,” Neyis explains. “Like any poor person, I try to give my children enough to eat, but sometimes it’s very little or food that’s not very nutritious.”
By age 6, Lilibeth weighed just 28 pounds and had stopped growing. Though she never lost her happy disposition, her health was in decline. “I felt too skinny and my clothes would fall off,” she says. “I was a lot thinner than my friends.”
Watching her daughter waste away before her eyes, Neyis felt helpless. She consulted health specialists, tried different foods – nothing seemed to work. “I was desperate,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do.”
In 2010, Lilibeth became sponsored. Like all children, she underwent a health evaluation upon enrolling in the program. The diagnosis: severe malnutrition.
“For children, severe malnutrition inhibits physical and cognitive development, which can have lifelong consequences,” says Andrea Dunne-Sosa, Children International’s program officer for health and nutrition. “If it’s not addressed, it can even result in death.”
Children living in poor communities are exposed to a long list of dangers – from unsanitary conditions that spread communicable diseases to the senseless violence that arises from drugs and desperation. That’s why sponsored children always have access to medical care. And why those under 12 are required to have a full medical exam at least once a year.
These exams are intended to chart each child’s growth and development, and identify conditions that might otherwise go undiagnosed – like malnutrition which, according to Unicef, is an underlying cause in more than a third of the deaths of children under age 5.
Sponsored children diagnosed with moderate to severe malnutrition are enrolled in nutritional rehabilitation. They start by entering a feeding program to immediately boost essential vitamins and nutrients. Since malnutrition compromises a child’s immune system, they are also monitored carefully and treated for health complications that arise.
But that’s only half the battle. To help ensure these kids don’t slip back into malnourishment, the program focuses on changing the way they and their parents think about food. CI offers workshops to teach parents about locally available foods that are rich in nutrition – and how to cook healthy, affordable meals with those foods.
Parents who understand nutrition make better decisions for their family and pass healthier habits on to their children.
When a child is diagnosed with malnutrition, the program provides:
After her diagnosis, Lilibeth was immediately enrolled in the community feeding program in Cartagena, Colombia, where she is still a participant. Every weekday, she eats lunch at the home of a neighborhood volunteer named Aleida. Meanwhile, Neyis attended nutrition classes to learn how to prepare balanced, nutritious meals at a low cost.
Within months, Lilibeth gained 15 pounds. The program also helped change her attitude about food. “It’s incredible,” says Neyis. “My daughter eats so many things she wouldn’t eat before – and she does it on her own. That makes me so thankful.”
Lilibeth is still making progress. She likes eating lunches at Aleida’s house and learning about nutrition. “Aleida makes tasty food,” she says. “I like the salad she makes, the rice and pasta...everything.” After a moment, Lilibeth backs away from that claim. “Well, some foods I don’t like…but I eat them because Aleida tells me to.”
Neyis and Lilibeth have different theories about why a girl who once refused to eat shows such enthusiasm for it now. Neyis believes the problem began before Lilibeth was born. “When I was pregnant with Lilibeth, I couldn’t keep any food down and I wasn’t eating the right things. The doctor said that’s one of the reasons Lilibeth has been underweight since she was very little, because those first few months of pregnancy are when babies get their nourishment, and that was a difficult time for me.”
Lilibeth’s explanation is simpler: “Aleida’s a good cook.”
Whatever the cause, both are relieved by Lilibeth’s progress. “Children International allowed me to feel a little more at peace because I know someone’s helping us,” Neyis says. “It’s been a very good experience.”
Reporting assistance and photos by Marelvis Campo in Cartagena, Colombia.
