Fight Rising Malnutrition in Rural Guatemala

César, born in the remote village of  La Esperanza, faced critical challenges in his early months. He was born at a very low birth weight and his mother, Doña Romelia, struggled to produce breast milk for her first child. As a result, she decided to feed him formula. But it became increasingly difficult to afford the formula and provide the feedings her son required. A concerned community member connected the family with a Wuqu’ Kawoq nutrition technician, who enrolled César in our Family-Centered Nutrition program in February, his diagnosis was acute malnutrition.

In addition to providing formula to supplement César’s diet, nutrition technician Blanca Romero partnered with Doña Romelia, offering counseling on the importance of breastfeeding and some approaches for doing so. Finally, in April, Romelia was able to breastfeed César again and his nutritional status improved greatly. Between February and May, his height increased from 53 cm to 61 cm and his weight increased from 3.1 kg to 7 kg. 

César continues to grow and has become more interactive.  He enjoys Blanca's monthly visits to his home because he loves to swing on the scale that she uses to weigh him! He's is starting to babble and interact more with other people, both promising signs in his ongoing development.