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FEEDING HOPES – Food security

One in five children in Ghana is malnourished, meaning they are too small for their age and underweight. Malnutrition leads to growth disorders, a weak immune system, inhibited brain development and long-term health consequences. Malnourished children tire quickly, have little energy and no strength to play and learn.

In 2023, our team became aware of a family with a severely malnourished child. The mother wanted to enrol in a training programme at our training centre to improve her family's income situation. However, when our social worker saw the child during a home visit, it was immediately taken to hospital, where severe malnutrition was diagnosed. The child was treated as an inpatient and recovered, but died at home after being discharged. The consequences of long-term malnutrition had been too severe.

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illegal orphanages closed
children reintegrated in families
people successfully trained
students educated & trained

Malnutrition in Ghana

Poverty and, consequently, child malnutrition have been declining globally since 2000, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the economic and inflationary crisis, extreme poverty in Ghana is now on the rise again for the first time. Millions of people have been plunged into abject poverty. At the same time, UNICEF and China Aid ended a project in 2022 that provided hospitals with therapeutic food for malnourished children. 

Following the death of a malnourished child for whom help came too late, BRAVEAURORA initiated the Feeding Hopes project. The project supports the families of malnourished children by providing acute care in hospital, therapeutic food and educational work. The aim is to reduce malnutrition among children under the age of five in the West Mamprusi district.

Sustainable Development Goals
promoting food security

As part of the project, a survey was conducted to determine the areas where child malnutrition is most prevalent. This was crucial for selecting the villages where BRAVEAURORA would be active. The survey gave the team insights into the existing measures taken by government institutions to combat malnutrition and helped to identify the causes and contributing factors. These findings were important for increasing participation in the project in the beneficiary communities and enhancing the sustainability of the project.

SUCCESS STORY MARIAM
A race against time

Mariam, a six-month-old girl, and her family were facing a life-threatening situation. A volunteer at the health centre in the community of Shelinvoya brought their desperate situation to the attention of BRAVEAURORA.

During an initial examination, the BRAVEAURORA nurse determined that Mariam had not been breastfed for two days and that the family had run out of therapeutic food. The little girl was immediately taken to the nearest clinic to stabilise her condition before being transferred to the regional hospital. The diagnosis was devastating: Mariam was severely malnourished and also suffering from malaria, which explained her loss of appetite. During her week-long hospital stay, Mariam received life-saving medication and therapeutic food. Thanks to BRAVEAURORA's swift and comprehensive intervention, Mariam recovered and is now growing up to be a healthy girl. Her father expressed his deep gratitude: ‘Mariam would have died if BRAVEAURORA hadn't helped. I did everything I could, but nothing worked. Thank you for saving my girl's life.’

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