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Home > About Us > Latest News > Nursing from a Grandmother's Breast - A Hungry Child in Angola

Nursing from a Grandmother's Breast — A Hungry Child in Angola

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

By Kari Costanza, Communications Manager

Something is clearly wrong with Gabriela.

At 15 months, she should be walking — or at least taking her first delightfully wobbly steps. Her life should be one of discovery on this warm Angolan morning.

But Gabriela doesn’t walk. She’s tiny — hardly bigger than a newborn. And it doesn’t take more than a passing glance to see why.

Gabriela is nursing — hungrily — from her grandmother’s dry breast. Elana Cassinda, 50, says of her tiny granddaughter: “She sucks — just to suck. We have no milk.”

Elana’s daughter-in-law died during the little girl’s birth; she also left behind a son, just 3.

For two days, Elana has carried Gabriela to reach World Vision’s distribution center in Lunge to obtain seeds and tools. And to get the protein-packed cereal and vaccinations Gabriela needs to survive. “I came because of the baby’s [poor] health,” she says.

Gabriela, 15 months old, has been nursing hungrily from her grandmother Elana’s dry breast. She receives no relief for her hunger, merely comfort. Malnutrition stunts growth in more than half of the children under 5 in central Angola, leaving them physically and mentally scarred.

Many women echo Elana’s story of hunger across Angola’s broad central plateau. Once one of the most blessed agricultural areas in Southern Africa, Huambo Province was Angola’s breadbasket, growing maize, beans, cattle and coffee.

Today, the basket is empty ... largely because of war.

30-Year War: Displacement, Hunger
In 1975, independence from Portugal and an ensuing struggle for political power threw the country into a nearly 30-year civil conflict. Millions of Angolans had to flee for their lives.

“During the war, we were displaced,” says Elana. “We went to [nearby] Bailundo, but it wasn’t safe. When the war started, we stopped having a permanent address.”

Schools and health centers closed during the war. Farms languished. Crops died. “Sometimes we could cultivate, but then the war would come and we’d have to run.”

Mines Hinder Progress, Child Malnutrition Increasing
Today, four years after the April 2002 peace agreement, malnutrition remains at crisis proportions in pockets of Angola inaccessible to the humanitarian community.

“Everything is mined,” says Jonathan White, Angola operations director for World Vision. A preponderance of mines keeps people from farming — unless they are willing to die trying.

A recent study by the World Food Programme found that nearly a million people are on the verge of starving in Angola’s central highlands. Malnutrition is stunting growth in more than half of the children under 5, leaving them physically and mentally scarred.

“Most people eat two meals a day, but many only eat one,” Jonathan adds.

What’s World Vision Doing?
World Vision’s work in the region combines food aid with nutrition and agricultural development. “We focus on crops like legumes, groundnuts and beans, which are rich in protein,” Jonathan reports. “We also work with community seed banks.

“We’ve supported 1.5 million people over the last two years, [partnering] with USAID to produce over 5,000 tons of seeds. The [long-term] solution is through agriculture and nutritional education. Otherwise, people are just condemned to a vicious cycle of chronic poverty.”

Resettlement Improves, Hunger Continues
Poverty and hunger are taking their toll on Gabriela. The porridge she is able to eat immediately exits her frail, diarrhea-wracked body.

This is typical, says World Vision health manager, Dr. Ana Mangueira: “Frequent diarrhea is a sign of malnutrition.”

Gabriela begins again to suck from her grandmother’s dry breast. She gets no calories — only consolation.

“Things are improving in terms of resettlement,” says Elana, “but our main problem now is food to survive.”

Yet, the grandmother is hopeful.

“God [has] always taken care of us. I pray that God takes care of this baby — my major concern is this little child,” Elana concludes.

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