Afya ya Mtoto malnutrition supplies are ready for distribution 

CAMPAIGN PROJECT A 

One aspect of the program entails Fair World International visiting the above six villages on the 19th and 20th days of every month to record the weight of the children. They are brought to their local health clinic by their mothers or a family member. 

If the weight gain is negligent or negative, we then have a discussion with the mothers/families in order to ascertain the cause. Invariably, there have been health issues (no surprise there!) such as diarrhoea, worms, flu, toothache, typhoid (fortunately rare), vomiting, malaria, and coughing. The health clinic staff immediately acted to find a solution if it was still needed. 

For all participants, there is a distribution of a monthly supply of food and liquid soap. We have tried different combinations of food over the years and continue to assess the efficacy of the current offerings: packets of vitamin-enriched flour, peanut butter, and cooking oil. 

The cost to feed one child is approximately $14 for one month.

CAMPAIGN PROJECT B

Recently (June 2024), we began to address another manifestation of malnutrition: newly-born babies. High maternity mortality rates and premature births are the sources of this issue. We now have five newly born babies under our care. Two lost their mothers during childbirth, and three are prematurely born triplets, each weighting about 1 Kg. All remain under the care of professional health care in Lushoto hospital and are nourished with baby formula (Lactogen1) through our program.

(As an aside, the triplets were recently treated for jaundice with the very phototherapy machine we delivered to the hospital in April 2024.)

We anticipate that their need for baby formula will remain until these babies are at least two years old. And we expect the demand for Lactogen baby formula to increase as word spreads that we are ready to help. 

CAMPAIGN PROJECT C

18 of our children are enrolled in a kindergarten called New Hope in Mambo village. There, they receive three meals per day, prepared by the staff. One thing we know is that there are always new challenges and new things to learn. Earlier this year, many of the New Hope children actually lost weight overthe course of one month. After consultation with the health clinic staff and a treatment for worms, they all returned to the right path.

Once a child on the program has reached normal weight (which in our experience can take anywhere from three months to two years), they remain on the program for a further six months to ensure there is no relapse. 

Should you have any questions or comments concerning the above, please email us at welcome@fairworldinternational.org