The heartbreaking reality of babies in Cartagena

April- June 2022 

Infant mortality has been an unresolved problem in Colombia. A story that demonstrates that reality was when Catalina Escobar, founder of la Juanfe, witnessed the death in her arms of a two-week-old baby, at the Rafael Calvo Maternity Hospital, because the baby's mother, of 14 years old, could not raise 60,000 Colombian pesos (30 dollars at the time) for the necessary treatment. 

 Since then, in addition to working with teenage mothers, la juanfe has had as a priority the care ofbabies, so they can grow healthier. In this sense, as a strategy, the Center for Integral Child Development (CIDI) was created, a space where the children of the beneficiaries receive comprehensive care and attention. Each semester, CIDI characterizes the beneficiary mothers and their children, and selects those who require the most attention and follow-up, either because of their nutritional status or because of the lack of a family network to care for the child while the mother attends the Foundation's activities. 

It has been a very successful strategy and as proof during April- June 2022 quarter:  

We have cared for more than 100 children between 6 and 24 months in our Comprehensive Child Development Center, guaranteeing their nutrition and monitoring their vaccination schedules. 

We implemented the Comprehensive Care Plan,with the aim of promoting the development of CIDI'schildren, exposedtoconditionsofpovertythataffecttheircompetences, skills and abilities. 

We monitor and intervene in childrenwithdevelopmentaldisorders. 

110 teenage mothers have strengthened their knowledge about the role of raising their children and identifying positive and negative attachments in the parenting process thanks to the chair of being a mother. 

Finally, we will continue to work impatiently so that our babies grow up healthier and with the best care in order to have a high quality of life.