Nutrition
In the remote communities of our country, 1 in 700 children is born with cleft lip and cleft palate. Many of these children die from malnutrition at an early age due to lack of resources and specialized care.
To prevent babies from falling into malnutrition and dying, a comprehensive nutrition program was started. This consists of:
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training parents on how to properly care for their children with nutritional needs
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providing them with enough monthly formula
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bottles with special nipples
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home visits for monitoring the babies progress
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frequent medical check-ups.
When the children reach a suitable age, surgeries are coordinated so the babies are able to live a normal life and thrive. This part of the program is carried out by the organization Sharing the Journey International. Through our partnership with them, we have saved the lives of many newborns in our country.
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40
How the program works
When families come to us with their children, we take initial measurements of weight and document the malformations they suffer. The mothers are set to receive tubs of NAN powdered formula to mix with water and give to the baby, and the special equipment to feed them as babies with cleft lip or palate have difficulty forming the suction necessary to breastfeed. After some time, when they are old enough, the children are put on a schedule to receive surgery from one of our volunteer teams. These surgeries are life saving and dramatically change the lives of these children.
