Fatchima, 14 months, and her mother Maria, live in a village 30 km (about 19 miles) away from Aguie Hospital in Niger.
When Fatchima arrived at Aguie Hospital, she was suffering from malnutrition and severe diarrhea, which can quickly kill children if they become too dehydrated and lose electrolyte balance. Health assistants at the hospital immediately tended to Fatchima and gave her fortified milk, which she finished about an hour after her admission.
Two days after her treatment in the hospital, Fatchima’s condition improved greatly. She continued to drink milk and her diarrhea stopped. Several days after she left the clinic, Fatchima’s skin looked healthier, rosier and her cheeks began filling out.
Malnutrition results in the needless deaths of millions of children around the world each year. With a little more investment, more kids can survive and thrive.
The U.S. has led a global effort to provide developing countries with what they need to keep their children healthy – often with simple, proven and inexpensive interventions that address leading causes of death. Programs that helped Fatchima survive are low-cost, high-impact health and nutrition programs that have saved millions of lives.