She wipes Sendy’s knees after every fall and takes breaks from gardening to cuddle her and look into her bright eyes, relishing every opportunity to dote over her.

Sendy was severely malnourished as an infant. She had not crawled or walked at nearly 2 years old. The girl was so stunted that her mother feared she would lose her. “Her little body was so skinny, you could thread her through a needle,” says Ms. Firdemont.

Malnutrition a serious problem

In Haiti, 22 percent of children aged 6 to 59 months experience chronic malnutrition.

The rate of underweight is significantly higher in Haiti’s poorest areas – such as Palmis, the rural village outside of the southern city of Jeremie where Ms. Firdemont and Sendy live.

In rural, isolated areas, families have often not been taught about nutrition, and base their eating on cultural practice.  “I’ve seen people sell or trade their eggs for cheese doodles because they think imported foods must be healthier,” says Casimir Alfred, Program Coordinator from UNICEF’s partner on the ground Haitian Health Foundation.

In addition, the majority of families struggle not only to afford to buy foods that can supplement their diets, but also to access them. They might walk hours to local farmer’s markets, only to find a monotonous selection of foods.

“There are no tomatoes, cabbage, spinach…[T]heir bodies don’t get the necessary nutrients like vitamin A, iron and iodine, which had led to a high rate of malnutrition in these communities, compared to the country on the whole,” says Mr. Alfred.

Mighty Baby tackles malnutrition

One of the ways UNICEF is tackling this health challenge is through nutritional interventions, such as community meetings that provide information on what foods families can plant in their gardens and eat to help balance their diets.  An important part of this initiative, carried out in partnership with Haitian Health Foundation, is the distribution of a multiple micronutrient powder known locally as Bebe Vanyan (Mighty Baby). Using this powder can increase children’s chances of survival, especially during the first two years of life.

Chief of Child Survival and Development for UNICEF in Haiti Mohamed Ayoya explains, “One packet of the vitamin powder provides a daily allowance of the necessary vitamins and nutrients young children need during the critical months of their development.” The cost of a one-month supply of the supplement is under $1 US.

UNICEF, Haitian Health Foundation and the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population are working together so that the initiative can become a national program to ensure that all Haitian children under 5 get the nutritional elements they need.

The initiative has been widely successful, but Belo Fado, one of the 51 health agents working in this area, says that challenges do exist. “It’s difficult to cover everyone,” he says. “We try to prioritize and give it to children with worst cases of malnutrition first.”

More than 600,000 packs of Bebe Vanyan have been distributed to over 6,900 children since the programme’s inception in May 2012.  Families have had remarkable results overcoming and preventing the symptoms of malnutrition in their children – so much so that, as Mr. Fado makes his rounds through the community, a refrain echoes from mothers standing in the doorways of the small mud houses: “Good day, Mr. Health Agent! When will you come with more Mighty Baby powder?”

“She’s solid”

When Ms. Firdemont started using the powder, sprinkling it in Sendy’s food and drink, she saw an immediate improvement in both her appetite and development. “I put it in her food,” she says. “Bingo! Ate it right up. In her juice, same thing.”

After five months on the supplement, Sendy finally began to walk.

Some, like Ms. Firdemont, treat Mr. Fado like family, inviting him into her home to see how her daughter has grown and developed since his last visit.

“I’m so grateful for the mothers’ group meetings, because it’s where I received the vitamin powder,” she says. “Thanks to what I learned there, I make sure my daughter eats a balanced diet and gets all the nutrients she needs.

“She’s all right now,” she adds. “She’s solid.”

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Article by Michelle Marrion

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The post UNICEF: Severely Malnourished Children in Haiti Thrive, with Simple, Affordable Remedies first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Positive findings

The 2012 survey, known by its French acronym EMMUS, was commissioned by the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population and carried out by the Haitian Childhood Institute (IHE), which collected  data on infant mortality, disease and use of services in the country. UNICEF was a major financial contributor and resource provider, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

According to Director of IHE Dr. Michel Cayemittes, “[The survey] enables us to determine the level of health and demographical indicators, allowing us to see the evolution of these indicators over time.”

Preliminary results of the survey bode well for the situation of children in Haiti, particularly in the areas of education and nutrition. Some of the most positive findings are in the area of education, which shows a 22 per cent growth in school attendance among children 6–11 years old over the period. Seventy-seven per cent of these children attended primary school in 2012, as compared to just under 50 per cent in 2005–2006.  An increase in school attendance among girls in Haiti has also been noted.

Situation after the earthquake

The survey allows an overview of the population affected by the 2010 earthquake, especially of the more than 300,000 people still displaced and living in camps, who remain among the most vulnerable population in the country.

According to Anne-Rose Saint-Preux, Nutrition Manager for UNICEF’s partner on the ground FONDEFH, the situation after the 2010 earthquake and the economic situation of parents were important factors in a considerable increase in the number of malnourished children.

Twenty-eight-year-old Vanessa saw malnourishment first hand. Having lost almost everything in the earthquake, she moved to camp Aviation, only to find her son Samuel malnourished. She brought the baby to a camp healthcare center run by FONDEFH, which provides pre- and postnatal care services, vaccinations and malnutrition screening.

Samuel was diagnosed as being acutely malnourished and placed on a treatment program that included a regimen of vitamin-enriched foods such as Plumpy’nut. He was monitored weekly for changes and developments. He responded to the treatment quickly and is now healthy and at a normal weight for his age.

The nutrition consultation and treatment program are supported by UNICEF, which provides materials, medicine and support to do the work on the ground.

The preliminary results of the 2012 survey, in comparison with the results from the 2005–2006 survey, show that efforts like these are working: Acute malnutrition in children under 5 years old has decreased by half – from 10 per cent to 5 per cent – and chronic malnutrition has also decreased – from 29 per cent to 22 per cent.

UNICEF Country Representative in Haiti Edouard Beigbeder says, “We were able, with the support of the international community, to bring services to the pre-earthquake level, but as well, to bring new results for the children of Haiti. The issue in the coming two years will be how to sustain these results.”

More to be done

While the survey points out where improvements have been made, it also highlights persistent bottlenecks, such as to quality of education, access to basic sanitation and reducing HIV infection.

Challenges still remain in Haiti, but for Vanessa, access to the resources and care at the UNICEF-supported FONDEFH clinic helped Samuel push through his period of malnutrition.

Ms. Saint-Preux says, “Unfortunately, I can’t say malnutrition has been completely eradicated here – hopefully one day I can. But, when I look back on where we started in 2010, compared to where we are now…thanks to the combination of prevention and treatment we are providing at the center with the support of organizations like UNICEF, I can say we’ve made great strides in decreasing malnutrition.”

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Article By Michelle Marion

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Photo: Jessica O’Connor / Salesian Missions

The post UNICEF: Three Years After Haiti Earthquake, Survey Sheds Light on Current Status of Children and Women first appeared on MissionNewswire.