Support for children affected by malnutrition in Niger
In the Tillabery region of Niger, trees dot the complex that houses the Baleyara District Hospital and the Intensive Nutritional Recovery Center (CRENI) built by Islamic Relief.
In the building that constitutes the nutrition center, two women sit on hospital beds with mosquito nets and hold their babies in their arms. The only lighting in the room comes from the open door. The shuttered windows are closed but the rays of light filter through, drawing patterns on the walls.
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On one of the beds is Hawa, cradling her baby. Hashiru has a bandage on his small right hand, where the intravenous drip has been inserted. Dressed in a pink veil, Hawa is cheerful and smiling at the 10-month-old baby.
The local health center referred his son to CRENI. Little Hashiru was diagnosed with malnutrition and took a dietary supplement for three weeks.
“I was told that my son was not getting better and I had to transfer him to the hospital [district nutrition center] ,” explains Hawa.
Fighting against malnutrition
Hawa and her son were taken to hospital in an ambulance provided by Islamic Relief to transfer patients from health centers in remote villages of Baleyara. “I’ve been in the hospital for five days now. My son is better now, “she says with a smile that lights up her face.
In a nearby bed sits Fati, 30, from Deiberi. Fati had gone to an antenatal clinic in her village with her 20-month-old baby when medical staff reported terrible news. “I was told that my daughter is very ill and had to be admitted to the hospital’s nutrition center . “
Fati’s daughter, Raudo, was diagnosed with acute malnutrition. “I didn’t know my daughter was malnourished,” she says. “When the nurses told me to come to Belayara, I didn’t know if we would be admitted . ” Fati and her daughter have been in the hospital for six days.
Fati and his daughter Raudo have been in the center for six days.
Before the Islamic Relief project, CRENI did not exist in the district. We built the facility, complete with toilet, kitchen and waiting room. The kitchen provides food for patients and their families during their stay. The project also helped ensure access to health facilities for children suffering from acute and severe malnutrition.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 1.9 million people in Niger did not know how they would get their next meal even before the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated food insecurity and poverty. Now the government says 2.7 million people are at risk of food insecurity, raising fears that already high levels of malnutrition could further increase.
Islamic Relief Nutrition Center is a lifeline for many. In an office within the center, a group of health workers sit at their desks, each engrossed in their own work. Among them is Saley Fati Hanouma, a nurse from Balayera District Hospital. Saley is employed by Islamic Relief as part of the project, which has also trained health workers on the prevention of malnutrition.
The foreman wears a white lab coat with an African print headdress, telling us malnutrition is common in the area.
“Many children suffer from malnutrition because people don’t have enough to eat,” explains the mother of six . “Before the clinic was built, malnourished children were sent to Niamey.”
Saley Fati Hanouma, a nurse employed by Islamic Relief at the nutrition center.
A reference point for rural areas
Now, the hospital has a referral system in coordination with Belayara village health centers, so severely malnourished children are brought to the nutrition center from the district hospital.
Presso il centro nutrizionale terapeutico dell’ospedale distrettuale di Belayara, vengono forniti due tipi di trattamento. Uno è il trattamento medico per i casi nei quali i bambini soffrono di malnutrizione acuta o altre malattie causate da essa. L’altro è l’alimentazione terapeutica in cui i bambini ricevono cibo nutriente fino a quando non riacquistano la propria salute.
“Islamic Relief è stato un partner importante in questo distretto sanitario”, afferma il dottor Haruna, direttore medico del distretto di Belayara. Il segretario generale del distretto, Moussa Saidou Agali, concorda sul fatto che Islamic Relief stia facendo la differenza, affermando che “la clinica ha alleviato i casi di malnutrizione in quest’area”.
Fati e Hawa, che non sapevano che i loro figli fossero malnutriti, hanno ricevuto una formazione su come prendersi cura dei propri figli e sulle norme di buona igiene. Sono desiderosi di condividere le loro nuove conoscenze con gli altri membri della loro comunità.
“Prenditi cura dei tuoi figli e dai loro cibo con sostanze nutritive”, consiglia Hawa, che non vede l’ora che suo figlio venga dimesso dal centro. “Quando torno a casa, preparerò del cibo frullato per mio figlio”.
“Preparerò un buon pranzo per mio figlio. Preparerò anche il porridge”, aggiunge invece Fati.
Madri felici
Il progetto sta lavorando nelle comunità locali per migliorare le condizioni dei bambini e delle donne. I volontari, formati da Islamic Relief, organizzano incontri comunitari su malnutrizione, protezione dell’infanzia e violenza di genere – aiutando a gestire i casi di violenza contro donne e bambini. Finora hanno identificato 10 casi di violenza di genere e li hanno indirizzati al servizio di protezione distrettuale.
Il programma include anche delle trasmissioni sulle stazioni radiofoniche locali per sensibilizzare sulla violenza di genere e sulle questioni relative alla protezione dell’infanzia.
Con il tuo sostegno Islamic Relief sta aiutando i bambini a sconfiggere la malnutrizione, ma è necessario molto di più per sollevare le famiglie dalla povertà e dall’insicurezza alimentare.
Abbonati ora e cambia il mondo con un piccolo gesto.