Meds and Food for Kids, Haiti: Giving an Infant a Second Chance at LifeGlobal

Pierre at the admission date, CL Clinique

The average weight for a healthy American newborn is 7.5 pounds. That’s more than 10-month-old Pierre weighed when his cousin brought him to MFK’s Camp Louise Clinic -- about 10 miles west of Cap-Hatien, Haiti -- in November 2007. Pierre’s mother died when he was 5 months old.

When he entered MFK’s program, Pierre’s abdomen was sunken, and his ribs were visible through his skin. He weighed just 7.3 pounds. For the first few weeks, he struggled with diarrhea and was given antibiotics and albendazole for parasite infection.

Pierre at the second visit

But soon, MFK’s Medika Mamba therapeutic food mixture began producing results. On his fifth weekly visit, Pierre weighed 9 pounds. On his ninth visit, he was up to 10.7 pounds. And at the 13th and final visit, Pierre weighed 11.8 pounds, a 62 percent increase from his original weight.

Infants born in Haiti may not have the advantages of American babies. But thanks to MFK and its many friends, Pierre and others are getting the chance to grow up strong and healthy. Your support DOES make a difference.

Pierre at the 7th Visit

It was a tough challenge for the national programme to ensure a renewal of life for Benintsy, but we made it. In addition to helping Benintsy, the story launched a strong drive to raise the awareness of the disease in Madagascar. The story leveraged focus of the national lymphatic filariasis programme and deserves to be told and retold as firstly, it shows how− even in the bleakest times− love and human kindness can light up the darkness and give hope to those who suffer from the disease, and secondly, it is nice to simply share something we are proud of.

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  • June 2008
  • April 2008
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  • Carter Center, Nigeria
  • Med and Food for Kids, Haiti
  • GAELF, Madagascar
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