Take a peek into what a normal day looks like in a malnutrition clinic in Angola, Africa.
Saving Moses provides therapeutic milk to six clinics in the Benguela province of Angola. Mothers are referred to our clinics and often have to travel a considerable distance to reach the clinic.
Clinic staff members look at each baby’s case individually, taking note of weight, age, and the severity of the malnutrition.
The therapeutic milk is essentially milk on steroids and is fortified to give a baby with severe malnutrition the nutrients he or she needs to survive. The qualified professionals assess proper quantities and types of malnutrition formula necessary for the baby’s case.
Mothers often need to stay between 4-6 weeks before their baby is healthy enough to be discharged. During this time, mothers stay in the malnutrition clinics with their babies. They form a community of friends that are walking through a similar process–it’s an emotional journey, and not everyone’s story ends in success.
The process of healing is slow. Once at the malnutrition clinic, mothers receive the formula three times a day and administer it to their babies.
They bathe their babies, comfort them, and hold onto what hope remains. As their babies show signs of improvement, mothers show signs of relief.
We rejoice in every victory and weep for the babies who may have come too late. Our heart beats to save every life that comes into our malnutrition clinic. Until every baby is saved, we will continue taking it one day at a time.
