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CHILD supports nutrition programs in Haiti through Haitian Children’s Aid Society (HCAS). This currently includes the nutrition program run by Haiti Children's Home (HCH). The programs provide severely malnourished children with high protein nutritional supplements called Medical Mumba Bars. Nutritional support strengthens families, making it possible for children to stay at home instead of being placed in an orphanage.
The programs are facilitated by healthcare workers who monitor the children's health until they graduate from the program. The programs also provide essential medications for the children and basic healthcare education for parents. CHILD’s funds are used to purchase high protein nutritional supplements as well as essential medications which are given to the children participating in the program. |
Medical Mumba boxes supplied by CHILD​
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Haiti's Crisis
Despite being an incredibly beautiful country with beautiful people, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and according to UN statistics, the second most food-insecure nation in the world.
Many of the over 11 million Haitians do not have enough food or clean water on a regular basis.
Many of the over 11 million Haitians do not have enough food or clean water on a regular basis.
Natural Disasters |
Political Instability |
Food Insecurity |
Haitian children grow up in a society of political instability, fears, illiteracy, and poverty, not to mention having many natural disasters each year. Yet even though they have so many obstacles to face, they live their lives with courage and maintain a sense of dignity.
In the midst of all this, Haiti Children’s Home aims to support families in crisis, and provide supportive options for families instead of taking children into permanent care at their orphanage.
In the midst of all this, Haiti Children’s Home aims to support families in crisis, and provide supportive options for families instead of taking children into permanent care at their orphanage.
Nutrition for Kids
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The aim of the HCH nutrition program is to provide nutritional supplements to severely malnourished children from infant to 14 years old. Over 250 babies and young children come for check-up appointments each month at the HCH Nutrition Program clinic and many children come to be screened to see if they qualify for the program. The program is facilitated by nurses who monitor the children's health until they graduate from the program.
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When a child is accepted into the program, they get a medical checkup to evaluate what is needed to get them healthy. Any basic medications that don’t require a doctor’s prescription are given in house, and referrals are made to hospitals if there is a serious case. For malnutrition cases, infants are started on the formula program and children are given Medical Mumba Bars to eat. It takes 6 weeks on the bars for the children to gain a healthy weight and give them a good start in life.
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$100 pays for one box of 150 Medical Mumba bars.
It takes roughly one box to treat a child.
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'Medika Mamba' are two Creole words that translate into ‘peanut butter medicine’. These bars are made locally in Haiti with Haitian grown peanuts which helps support the Haitian economy. In addition to receiving these supplements, families are informed about healthy nutrition practices. Many parents are happily surprised that their child has gained 2 pounds between weekly appointments at the program when they start out. Check out the nutritional equivalency of what 1 package contains. Children receive 2-5 packages a day depending on their weight.
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Nutritional equivalency of 1 bar of Medika Mamba
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Education for Families
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Education is so important when raising kids, but it's not always accessible to parents and caregivers. In Haiti, there can be misconceptions about nutrition that lead caregivers to give their children food that they think is healthy, when the child actually needs something else, like protein, in order to grow in a healthy way. HCH provides education for caregivers which enables them to know exactly what their children need to thrive.
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HCH’s nutrition program gives hope to so many families.
By providing nutritional and educational support, HCH helps keep families together and enables parents to gain the resources and knowledge they need to give their children a healthy life.
By providing nutritional and educational support, HCH helps keep families together and enables parents to gain the resources and knowledge they need to give their children a healthy life.
Stories of Hope
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HCH’s kids and staff recently attended a children’s program, and shortly after we arrived, this little girl you see above came running up to us! It took us a minute to figure out why she seemed so happy to see us, and then we saw her mom coming to greet us, and it all clicked!
This cutie is Lousnie, the sick little baby that was the inspiration for the nutrition program 10 years ago!!! Her mom was desperate for help for her child, and came to bring Lousnie to live at the HCH orphanage, and yet it was easy to see her immense grief at the idea of leaving her precious baby at HCH. So, our nurse offered her a place in a program that didn’t even exist, and thus began the nutrition program. Seeing this family together and thriving is EXACTLY why we started this program, and it brought us to tears to see how the faith we had to start a program without any support, led to hundreds of children with stories like this one! Thank you for supporting our community program! THIS. IS. WHY. |
Hear more about Lousni's story from Lori, a staff member at HCH.
Watch all of Lori's talk about HCH's Nutrition Program here.
