Rescue Children Suffering From Severe Malnutrition

The staff at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Kathmandu screened 2,952 children last year for malnutrition during 10 outreach camps in rural communities throughout Nepal.

NYF staff referred the most severely malnourished children to the nearest NRH for treatment and educated the mothers of 1,420 others who were found to be mildly or moderately malnourished.

NYF staff conducts “Nutritional Outreach Camps” throughout the country every year to identify children who need treatment. Last year, we organized 10 such camps. NYF also conducted nutrition awareness programs in two schools from May 15-21, 2014 as part of the government’s School Health and Nutrition Week program.

In addition to treating malnourished children and teaching their mothers the basics of good nutrition, we offer Dietitian Training workshops for health professionals, focusing on diet counseling, menu preparation, nutritional awareness and improvement in kitchen management and cooking in hospitals. The 1,235 healthcare professionals and volunteers who went through the training sessions last year multiplied the effect by sharing their knowledge with other professionals in their teams.

NYF operates 16 NRH's throughout the country where severely malnourished children are nursed back to health and their mothers are taught the basics of good nutrition using affordable, locally available food.

Thank you for helping us to nourish these children.

Namaste!

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation

Weighing only four pounds when her mother brought her to NYF’s Nutritional Rehabilitation Home last spring, tiny Kripa blossomed during her month-long stay.

She is one of thousands of children nursed back to health at one of NYF’s 16 NRHs, while their mothers learn the basics of good nutrition using healthy, locally available food. These small clinics are located near hospitals in each district in Nepal. We operate them for five years, and then turn them over to the government to run. So far, we have transferred eight NRH’s to government stewardship, freeing our resources to reach even more malnourished children.

Kripa had a tough start in life. Unable to produce enough breast milk, her mother fed her only rice porridge. Her health quickly deteriorated and she was hospitalized, too weak even to open her eyes. Nurses referred her to our NRH in Kailekh where she was treated intensively until she stabilized.

In a little over a month, she grew to a healthy eight pounds! Receiving lessons in food preparation, nutrition, and personal hygiene, her mother learned to feed her appropriately and took back this knowledge back to the village to share with family and friends.

Thank you for your generous support of Kripa and thousands of children like her.

Namaste!

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation

We recently held a nutrition outreach camp in a marginalized Chepang community, who are only recently transitioning from a semi-nomadic lifestyle. Sadly, we found that out of the 140 children screened, 104 (75%) were malnourished. The children who were severely malnourished were immediately referred to the nearest Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH).

At the camp, we taught the mothers about nutrition and how to prepare nutritious meals from locally available resources to revive the health and weight of the children.

We expanded our outreach in July into the rural villages of Sindhupalchok District - four hours outside of Kathmandu – where a total of 1,381 children were screened for malnutrition, received medical examinations and taught the hand washing techniques. Their mothers learned the basics of good nutrition using locally available food.

NYF operates 16 NRH's throughout the country where severely malnourished children are nursed back to health.

We are expanding out outreach efforts to identify more children who need help. Nearly half of all Nepali children suffer from malnourishment.

Thank you for your support.

Namaste!

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation

When you meet the children we serve, you appreciate the miracles that happen at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Centers. Jal Bahadur is one of the children who got a new start in life at an NRH. Last April, NYF workers found him during a Nutrition Outreach Camp. His mother had died four months earlier, and his deeply impoverished father struggled to care for Jal and his older sister. Three-year-old Jal was so malnourished he could not talk, walk or even stand up.

Within 20 days of care at the center, Jal had put on weight and regained enough strength in his legs to walk. His father learned the basics of good nutrition and took this information back with him to share in his rural village.

Thanks to your support, Jal and thousands of children like him have a chance to lead a healthy life.

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation

The staff at the Nutritional Rehabilitation Home in Kathmandu screened 1,532 children last year for malnutrition and found that nearly 40 percent of them suffered from this life-threatening condition.

NYF staff referred 50 of the most severely malnourished children to the NRH for treatment and educated the mothers of 510 others who were found to be mildly or moderately malnourished.

NYF staff conducts “Nutritional Outreach Camps” throughout the country every year to identify children who need treatment. Last year, we organized four such camps and two smaller ones.

To celebrate Nepal’s national “Nutrition Week,” we organized a new screening camp in a local health post in Lalitpur.

In addition to treating malnourished children and teaching their mothers the basics of good nutrition, we offer Dietitian Training workshops for health professionals, focusing on diet counseling, menu preparation, nutritional awareness and improvement in kitchen management and cooking in hospitals. The 23 healthcare professionals who went through the training last year multiplied the effect by sharing their knowledge with other professionals in the team.

Thank you for helping us nourish these children.

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation