The story of Mimi
Mimi is 6 years old. She was breast fed by her mother until she was 4 months, but this was her last milk, so rich in protein. She was always fed on a pap made of bananas and cauliflower and Mimi developed chronic malnutrition, which when it got worse a few months ago, made her body swell. She then started suffering from diarrhoea, nausea, and skin infections.
At the hospital her parents were told Mimi needed special treatment and Save the Children could help their child. In fact Save the Children had set up a specific nutrition therapeutic unit (the stabilization centre) in the hospital, which had all the medicines and products needed to fight malnutrition, with health workers trained to treat cases of chronic malnutrition with complications. In this centre Mimi was immediately given a specific, 3-phase treatment.
In the first phase, which helps make extremely weak children strong again, Mimi was fed 8 times a day with highly nutrient therapeutic milk and she was also given antibiotics injections.
After 8 days of intensive care, the girl started phase 2, which begins when the children reach a body weight considered to be out of danger. For 4 days she was given a second powder solution to stabilize and guarantee her medium/long term development.
After 13 days she started phase 3: Mimi ate a diet based on Pumply’nut, peanut butter bars with added chemical stabilizers, distributed in the nearest health facility to her village. This meant the young girl could go home, where, after 21 days she could start playing with her friends once more with a smile on her face.
