Parents learn the value of health centres

Written by: World Vision Chad; Edited by Katie Hackett
 
In Sategui Plains, something bad has led to something good: The high rate of malnutrition among kids has opened their parents’ eyes to the value of their health centres.
 
According to the health centre managers in the area, local moms used to feel hopeless. Their children were sick, but they didn’t have money to bring them for care. Those who did manage to fund their children’s recovery from malnutrition found that the recovery didn’t “stick”—the kids would backslide at home without good, nourishing food.
 
To better support these families, World Vision worked with the health centres to establish a program for malnourished children under five, and soon, the centres were filling with interested parents.
 
Now, families come to the health centre for nutrition screening. If kids are found to be underweight, parents are provided with fortified porridge to bring them back to a healthy weight quickly, but they also receive nutrition training and essential health care.
 
“This disease, finally, becomes a means which allows women to understand the necessity of bringing children to health centres instead of self-medication or traditional practitioners,” says Allaramadji Emmanuel, a local health provider.