child malnourishment

Hola! Things are changing here at the center! We have two new moms and babies staying with us and one of our children (my patient) graduated from the program. My heart was torn by him leaving because I will miss him dearly and I felt like we were just getting started but I am also extremely happy for him and his mother who can now be reunited with their loved ones healthier. It was a good reminder for me that this is a temporary home for the children and mothers and the goal is always for them to leave as soon as medically possible. The children typically stay here with their mothers for 3-4 months which is an enormous sacrifice for their mothers who make the choice to leave their homes, loved ones, and jobs to save their children. For a child to receive care at the center a clinical professional must first state that the child is in dire need of immediate medical care. What Hearts in Motion provides is life saving care. It is such a gift to witness such care. 

According to the World Food Programme, nearly half of Guatemalan children under the age of five are chronically malnourished placing Guatemala as the country with the highest rate of child malnourishment in Latin America. This week I experienced the gravity of child malnourishment when a young girl was unexpectedly brought to our center with severe malnourishment. She was eight years old with severe wasting and in need of immediate medical attention. I traveled with the directors of Hearts in Motion to bring the child and her mother to the nearest hospital to receive care. I do not know if I will see the child again but praying holding her tiny hand as we rode to the hospital is a moment I will never forget. 

To help explain the mission here at the nutrition center, I’ve included a link to the Hearts in Motion website. There is a video about child malnourishment attached to the section titled nutrition center and I highly highly recommend giving it a watch!