Faran and his burn

by Angela Stene

During Faran’s first week at International Medical Corps’ out-patient therapy program, the wide-eyed 18-month-old child looked like he had experienced more than his share of suffering. Although born into poverty and crippled by malnourishment, he maintained a refined composure – something commonly seen among Ethiopia’s severely malnourished children. Perhaps he knows crying is pointless, or that the few resources available to soothe his hunger are not worth the effort.

PHOTO: Julie Pudlowski Faran was treated for malnutrition at an IMC out-patient therapy center. Before coming to IMC, his mother tried to cure him by burning his stomach, a traditional remedy in their community.

Faran has been participating in IMC’s program for 15 days, but he’s been sick for two months. When his belly and feet began to swell from a lack of minerals and vitamins in his food, his mother turned to a traditional community remedy: she burned Faran’s swollen stomach with a heated wire. But after waiting several days for Faran to recover, he still showed no signs of improvement. His mother was on the verge of panicking when a large, white IMC vehicle came to her village. IMC staff explained to her that children who were very sick, thin, or had swollen bellies could find relief from IMC, which operated with the Ministry of Health at a nearby clinic. Recognizing that Faran met the description, his mother carried him more than an hour to IMC’s outpatient nutritional therapy site for screening.

Faran was one of 200 young children in the out-patient therapy program. Some were given supplemental food like corn and soybean to help them fight moderate malnourishment. Others, like Faran, received a ration of Plumpy’nut, a vitamin and protein-fortified paste containing plentiful calories that doesn’t need to be mixed with water or other foods that often are contaminated by dirty reservoirs.

Faran was shy and reserved when he received his first taste of the Plumpy’nut paste. But when he discovered it was pleasantly sweet, he laughed. By his second visit, Faran had put on weight and was more energetic. His eyes were bright again and his playful personality returned. Fifteen days into the home-based nutritional therapy program, Faran had eaten over 45 sachets of Plumpy’nut.

The paste that revived Faran is made to appeal to young children--the most vulnerable victims of malnutrition-related death and growth-slowing illnesses. Each year it is estimated that malnutrition contributes to the deaths of 260,000 children under five in Ethiopia. Due to a lack of resources, coverage or education, these infants are beyond the reach of nutritional therapy programs, but Faran is one of the fortunate children: he lives in an area where IMC operates. And most importantly, he has a loving mother willing to do anything to help her son survive, even in the harsh environment where they live.

After receiving therapeutic food for four weeks, Faran will be referred to IMC’s supplemental feeding program. This will ensure that he receives corn and soybeans until his weight is restored to 90 percent of what it should be relative to his height.

PHOTO:Julie Pudlowski Faran eats Plumpy'nut, a therapeutic food for children who suffer from malnutrition..

Faran’s mother is taking health education classes about preventing disease and a relapse of malnutrition. She is learning how to use available resources like corn, wheat, eggs and breast milk to ensure Faran eats a balanced diet. She is being taught good sanitation and hygiene practices. She has learned that proper hand washing is critical to preventing illnesses. When soap isn’t available, she now knows she should use ash which also kills germ-causing diseases. She has been taught that it is important to bring Faran to the medical clinic on a regular basis so that he can receive vaccinations to prevent potentially fatal diseases like measles, mumps, rubella and diphtheria.

Faran’s mother will also be counseled about family planning options. She has four other boys at home and is expecting another child. Neither she nor her husband wants more children, but she must learn about birth control on her own because her husband considers it her problem. Her community received a visit from the Ministry of Health a few months ago and representatives handed out injections for those who wanted to prevent pregnancy. But for Faran’s mother it was too late. She was already pregnant.

Faran now risks suffering a fate that is common among young Ethiopians. He will soon be an older brother and the new baby will have priority over the mother’s breast milk. But with critical health and nutrition education that teaches Faran’s mother how to use the resources at home to prevent illness, Faran has a good chance of avoiding relapse. For now, with the therapeutic food and love and education, he is protected against future life-threatening diseases.