Provide Plumpy'nut for children in the DR Congo

"After eating the Plumpy'Nut, he was walking and talking and his appetite increased," says a young mother in the DR Congo. As you will see in this compelling video from Action Against Hunger (click on the link below), her son, Nico, was not doing well when he first arrived at the health clinic. And yet, because of the comprehensive services offered through the health clinic and the availability of Plumpy'Nut, her son was able to fully recover - walking and talking again like a little boy should. 

Starting in May of this year and into June, Edesia has been fulfilling an order for 20,202 boxes of Plumpy'Nut for another partner on the ground in the DR Congo (UNICEF), to help children just like Nico make full recoveries back to good health. This means that potentially 20,202 children can be fully treated over a course of 7 weeks (on average), eating three sachets per day.

I am always encouraged to see videos showing the dramatic impact Plumpy'Nut is having in the lives of children all around the world, and I know you will be too. 

Thank you, as always, for your partnership with Edesia. 

Links:

• Nico: The Story of One Child's Survival in D.R. Congo

In January, our shipping manager, Andrew (pictured above), helped send out over 3,250 boxes of Plumpy'Nut to the DR Congo. Behind every person is an amazing life story. At the age of 22, Andrew was forced to flee violence in Sierra Leone with two of his sisters. They lived as refugees for over three years before the miraculous news came that a family in the United States wanted to be their sponsor.

While living in refugee camps, Andrew learned how to suppress hunger and go without food in his stomach for days. He heard the sound of grieving mothers in tents down the way who'd lost their children, because of the illnesses they could not defeat without the nutrients that make a state of health possible.

So when Andrew sends out any shipment on behalf of Edesia, it's not just a job that needs to be done, but a calling to end the suffering that he knows by heart. And he knows that Sierra Leone refugees are no different than refugees living in the DR Congo. Everyone wants peace, good health, and a reason to have hope. 

With the latest shipments to the DR Congo, about 3,250 children with severe acute malnutrition will get the hope they need for a future. It seems like such a small number, when we think of the great need among children from families who have been displaced by the ongoing conflicts in the DR Congo (see report link below), but we do sincerely believe that the ripple effects of helping these children will be felt for generations to come.

Thank you for your ongoing caring and support and for believing - like we do - that the world changes, one life at a time.

Links:

• "Newly displaced in eastern Congo need urgent assistance"

The latest updates coming out of the DR Congo are troubling. The United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported recently that over one million people have been displaced this year. Criminality is on the rise. Tensions persist. Stability is nowhere in sight. Meanwhile, in the midst of these difficult circumstances, the bright, bubbly children of this central African country are in desperate need of nourishment, and hope.

This year, from our Providence, Rhode Island factory, Edesia has shipped over nourishment and hope in the form of 23,000 boxes of Plumpy'Nut to humanitarian organizations in the DR Congo - which is enough to potentially treat 23,000 children over a course of seven weeks. 

The humanitarian aid and community health workers in the DR Congo who are on the ground delivering this lifesaving treatment in hospitals and clinics are our heroes, just as much as you are our hero, for your continued support that helps make our work possible.

From all of us at Edesia, thank you for your amazing (and life-changing) partnership with us. It is making a world of difference. 

As you can already well imagine, the situation in the DR Congo continues to be uncertain, especially for the many thousands who are struggling to achieve a sense of safety and maintain access to adequate supplies of nutritious food. We just wanted to update you that, from our Providence, Rhode Island factory, we recently shipped out 10,000 boxes of Plumpy'Nut to the DR Congo, which means that 10,000 children with severe acute malnutrition can literally be revived and brought back to good health in a matter of weeks. We appreciate our humanitarian partners on the ground that receive our shipments and facilate the extremely hard work of saving these young lives. And we certainly appreciate your continued support and for helping us reach as many children as possible in this too-often forgotten region of our world. Thank you for your compassion and for bringing so much hope to others. 

As you are already aware, the DR Congo often falls below the radar of the media's attention, so it's always encouraging to come across a positive story to share with you from this country in the heart of Africa. Today I wanted to share with you a blog post written by Elisabeth Anderson Rapport from Action Against Hunger, the partner that received Edesia's shipment of Plumpy'Nut. 

Here is an excerpt: 

"Every Thursday morning, Bitondo made the more than five mile trek with her daughter from Kalama to Kilambwigali, to the nearest outpatient centre, where nurses trained by ACF nurses are treating and monitoring acutely malnourished children during their weekly visits.

Bitondo says the journey was well worth it, as Wabiwa received high-quality nutritional therapy, including protein-dense ready-to-use therapeutic foods. These innovative foods have revolutionised the treatment of child malnutrition, allowing children to be treated at home, and enabling health actors to scale up nutritional programmes and reach more children than ever before."

It's heartening to know that Wabiwa's life was changed because of the Plumpy'Nut that was made in our Providence, Rhode Island factory.

Unfortunately for Wabiwa's country, the obstacles never cease. Today I read about another threat in the DR Congo that will most certainly affect the nutritional status of families, and especially young children like Wabiwa, whose bright futures' depend on proper nutrition in the first 1,000 days - from conception to age two. A virulent pest is taking the lives of thousands of goats and sheep. 

It is the poorest families in the DR Congo that rely on sheep and goats for their livelihoods and sustenance. My heart aches, thinking about all of the thousands of families that will be even less able to feed and care for themselves now, as a result of this latest threat. But I am encouraged that organizations like Action Against Hunger are on the ground, helping ensure that children get the nutritional support they need. 

Thank you for supporting our project. We appreciate your caring and your ongoing partnership with us. 

Links:

• Baby Wabiwa's story