Following reports of alarming rates of malnutrition in eastern Ethiopia, World Vision worked with communities to open clinics for treatment of malnourished children. Here are the stories of three young children transformed by the clinic’s life-saving interventions.

April 2010

By Marie Bettings, World Vision Africa

Hindi Abduraman patiently waits under a tree to have her 1-year-old daughter, Sambontu, weighed and measured by World Vision’s health workers. Before being treated at the health clinic, “she was sick and very thin,” recalls Hindi. “She wasn’t even able to move around or crawl.”

Other toddlers waiting with Sambontu are eerily quiet — too sick to make a sound.

Following reports of alarming rates of malnutrition in eastern Ethiopia, World Vision worked to open clinics where hundreds of malnourished children have been treated.

‘My daughter is getting better’

Eight treatment areas were set up in remote areas, with medication and supplies carried on donkey back for hours through the mountains.

Hindi props Sambontu up on her lap, coaxing the little girl to eat the weekly ration of Plumpy’nut® the family receives from World Vision. Plumpy’nut® is a nutrient-rich, peanut-based paste fortified with milk and vitamins for children in delicate nutritional states.

“Only after taking the Plumpy’nut® did she start moving slowly again,” says Hindi. “I am happy now because of the help here. My daughter is getting better.”

Abdula’s story: ‘I was so scared he would die’

Inside the clinic, 5-year-old Abdula’s fragile body is slowly recovering from malnutrition. The swelling in his face, arms, and legs brought on by the lack of food has now receded, and most of his pain is gone.

“I was so scared he would die,” recalls Fatuma Mohamed, Abdula’s mother. She cares for four children on her own since her husband passed away nearly two years ago.

“There are times when we don’t even have Enjera (local bread that is the staple of diets) to eat,” laments Fatuma as she rubs Abdula’s hand.

“Had this program not been running, children would have died,” remarks Dereje Regassa, World Vision’s area program coordinator. “There was no other option for those families.”

Asfaw’s story: ‘He started to feel better fast’

Asfaw is only 18 months old, but he has already experienced hunger no child should have to endure. “He was very thin and his hair was falling out. We didn’t think he would live,” says his mother, Enat Desalegn.

Asfaw was treated for two months through the local clinic, receiving Plumpy’nut® each week and nutritional training for his mother.

Additionally, World Vision provided Asfaw’s mother with three months worth of food.

“When he started eating the food, he started to feel better fast,” Enat explains. “He was treated for about two months. At first he only ate a bit, but then he was eating up to five times through the day.”

A bright future

World Vision’s health clinics work alongside sponsorship to make a difference. Sponsored children receive school books and supplies. Families receive agricultural support and training to increase yields on their small farms.

“We see a bright future for the community,” concludes World Vision’s Dereje.

“I am from a household just like these. When I see families like this, I want to see them out of that situation. I work to help people stand on their own.”