In February of 2016, Darlene brought her newborn baby, Bienca, to the Clinic of Hope.
Bienca had been born prematurely and was not eating well or gaining weight. She was severely malnourished and her body was working too hard to try to survive.
Thanks to visiting medical teams in February and March of last year, Bienca was able to receive acute medical care and medicine to help her body fight more efficiently.
Once her health stabilized, it was time to start the long uphill battle of feeding and growing this little girl. In Haiti, that is no small task. It would take a village.
Three years ago, over 50 percent of children under the age of 2 in this community were moderately to severely malnourished. Babies like Bienca were dying from malnutrition and lack of medical care. The Clinic of Hope was ready to respond.
For Bienca, the help came in many ways: Fredeline, a nurse at the clinic, helped Darlene with breast feeding; and when Bienca was old enough, she was enrolled in the Medika Mamba program (which provides malnourished children with fortified peanut butter).
For families like Bienca’s, there are other community programs that help parents learn about healthy habits for their children.
Volunteers with the Community Health Program host Rally Posts to help identify children who are at risk for malnutrition or illnesses. At Ti Foyer gatherings mothers are taught child care skills, including proper nutrition.
Through the multi-faceted support from the Clinic of Hope and its nutrition programs, the current rate of moderate to severe malnutrition has dropped to 18 percent!
Thanks to the Clinic of Hope and the community health program, the “village” of Terre Blanche is now in the business of saving lives like those of Bienca, who is now a thriving 1-year-old, on the verge of walking and talking up a storm. Praise God!
To our supporters: Thank you! Your contributions are literally saving lives!
To our soon-to-be-supporters: Let’s work on getting that 18 percent down to 0!
By Katie Thom, HFH board member.