Sustained Medical Nutrition Therapy Saves Young Lives

Five-year-old Afreen has had a tough start to life. She was born as a premature baby, barely weighing 1.5kg. With a lot of effort, the doctors saved Afreen's life but her twin couldn't survive.

Afreen was a weak child and would often fall sick. She was not able to gain weight and had breathing difficulties. And then she was identified as a Severe Acute Malnourished (SAM) child in 2019. Save the Children, India and its partner Apanalaya immediately referred her case to the Nutrition Rehabilitation Center (NRC), a unit in a health facility where children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are admitted and managed. She was provided medical and nutritional therapeutic care at the centre. With regular treatment and follow-ups, she started responding to the medicines. She was linked with Save the Children, India's project and given treatment at the community-based health centre with Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT). The project team supported Afreen's family to make sure that she takes her medicines and supplements and her follow-ups are not neglected. Her mother was also taught low-cost nutritious recipes that were crucial for Afreen's treatment.

A big hurdle came in the form of pandemic-led lockdown in March 2020. Afreen's medical and growth monitoring follow-up visits stopped. Save the Children, India decided to counsel the family and monitor her progress over phone. The team ensured that she's provided with the MNT at home. In May 2020, Afreen had to be hospitalised due to health complication as her remote MNT treatment was not sufficient. Post her hospital treatment, Save the Children team again started her MNT treatment and now Afreen is healthy and living life as a normal child.

"My daughter was saved because of regular treatment and follow-ups made by didi (Save the Children volunteer). We got good medicines at the health centre and MNT packets. Afreen was born weak, her weight was 1.5 kg. With regular treatment she recovered. When my neighbour asked me how my daughter's health improved, I shared my experience with her and took her to the centre. Whenever I see weak kids, I tell their mothers to take them to the centre and give them MNT. Didi also taught me how to cook nutritious food at home. That also helped me. We are happy that Afreen is healthy now," said Afreen's Mother Nasreen Khan.

Govandi is a densely populated slum in Mumbai. According to a survey done in 2017, 57% of the children are stunted in the area. The survey also said that 68% of the residents have to buy water and there is a direct correlation between food insecurity and the money spent to buy water. Afreen's story is not an isolated one.

Maviya, a 5-year-old boy, stays with his parents and four siblings in Govandi. His father is physically disabled and makes a living by selling toys, while his mother is a homemaker. With their poor financial condition, they were finding it difficult to manage their basic needs, let alone Maviya's nutritional requirements. Moreover, Maviya's house is located near a waste dumping ground, which is one of the biggest in the country, due to which he keeps falling sick, has breathing difficulties and has even suffered from pneumonia. Research shows that SAM children are at higher risk for pneumonia.

In 2019, when Maviya was three, he was diagnosed as SAM child. He was immediately started on antibiotics, multivitamins, iron and calcium supplements. Doctors also started Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) on him. Save the Children team closely worked with his family and provided home-based services and counselled the family on low-cost recipes and his treatment journey. The team also encouraged the family to maintain hygienic and sanitary conditions at home as well as the surroundings, and educated them on hand washing practices. "I'm thankful to Save the Children team, doctors and staff for taking care of my son, Maviya. He is much better now. It's so good to see him play and roam around and eat properly. I want him to grow up healthy," said his father Mohammad Noor Alam.

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