Life Changer for Children

Thank you very much for choosing to support the Life Changer Project!  

The Life Changer Project is a campaign to improve the overall health  and nutrition of children through education and adoption of communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)  to help keep children safe from waterborne diseases like diarrhea and its impact on life and education.

Through the Life Changer Project, we work with the children, partner communities, parents, guardians and caregivers in order for children to:

• Have access to much needed health, nutrition, and hygiene and sanitation programs
• Have access to nutritious meals
• Have knowledge on child protection including their rights 
• Practice hygiene behavior change, including hand hygiene at home, in school and community 

 In FOCUS: Jaia's Journey Towards a Healthier Beginning

One of the best results that the team noticed, was the improvement of a severely acute malnourished (SAM) child named Jaia (not her real name). When she was enrolled in our program in September 2022, she was very thin and only weighed 5.45 kgs. 

During the recent assessment last March 2023, she demonstrated improved results and weighed 8.3 kgs following the interventions we implement to address malnutrition.

According to Jaia's mother, after attending our nutrition sessions (last year), she learned different ways and practices in preparing affordable and nutritious food for the family, giving emphasis to clean food preparation and hygiene practices as they are now maintaining good hygiene through bathing, washing of hands, and toothbrushing despite paying an amount of Php5.00 to access clean water in the community. It was also expressed that in spite of the prevalence of "Piso (one peso) Economy" in the community, they defer from purchasing as they are now aware of the nutritional content and unhygienic preparation of the food. 

In addition, even though resources are lacking (e.g., financial means, livable shelter, and access to clean water), she made sure that she can access health services through the Barangay (Village) Health Center (e.g., vaccination, deworming, and checkups) and at the same time doing sideline job to augment the daily expenses in the house, prioritizing nutritious food for the family. Also, she encourages division of work among members of the family in terms of taking care of younger siblings and maintaining cleanliness in the house. 

Jaia and her mother are just among the hundreds of children and families benefitting from the program.

Our Life Changer project is a five-year project that seeks to improve that living conditions for children and famlies most affected by inequality and disrimination.  We thank you and we look forward to your continuing support!