Chronic malnutrition is the single biggest contributor to the deaths of children under 5 in Guatemala. 49.8% of Guatemalan children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition. Casa Jackson Center for Malnourished Infants provides in-house and out-patient care to hundreds of infants and young children each year, as well as family nutrition education and community outreach efforts. Guatemala has the first place in Latin America and the sixth in the world in child malnutrition.
Guatemala has the sixth highest rate of childhood malnutrition in the world. According to UNICEF, half of Guatemalan children under 5 are chronically malnourished. In some indigenous communities, this rate reaches 80%. Widespread poverty and lack of access to healthcare, clean water, sanitation, and education compound this problem. Childhood malnutrition is linked to stunted growth and lower IQ, and chronic malnutrition is the biggest contributor to deaths of children under 5 in Guatemala.
Casa Jackson provides in-house care to children suffering from acute-severe malnutrition and out-patient care to children who are more mildly, yet chronically, malnourished. We work with families to fix the issues that resulted in a child's diagnosis, including educating parents on proper nutrition, identifying underlying health issues and the problems in the communities. We send recovered children home with Ecofiltros, medicine, and food. We check their continued recovery at least once a month.
Casa Jackson protects the most vulnerable victims of poverty: infants and young children. By treating hundreds of patients and empowering communities, Casa Jackson saves lives and prevents the harmful long-term effects of malnutrition. Each year, hundreds of children leave Casa Jackson healthy, happy and with a brighter future. The mission is ongoing, however, as every year hundreds more children arrive at our doorstep needing immediate and essential treatment.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
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