We regret to inform you that on Monday July 18th, the subject of this story, Elaar Tipen, passed away. He was one year and two months old. We are currently looking into the exact details of his death and will have an update soon. The family is in a very poor state, having already lost a mother. Sadly this story is replicated in many parts of Turkana.
Children like Tipen are admitted to nutrition centres and given Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic-Food also known as Plumpy Nut to help treat malnutrition.
Turkana, Kenya -- The health and nutrition status of children in Turkana district is alarming. Turkana central has recorded some of the highest global acute malnutrition rates, almost 10 per cent above normal emergency rates.
The situation has been exacerbated by the food crisis that is plunging many families into starvation and impairing the growth of children, especially those under five years. A recent survey by NGOs and the Ministry of Health in Turkana showed that the situation on the ground has reached emergency levels and families have resorted to extreme coping mechanisms to survive.
“Where will I feed these children?”
In Kapkoi village, central Turkana, one of the drought’s worst hit districts, food is a precious commodity and only eaten when it is available. Seventy-year-old Eyangan is a widow and the sole breadwinner for her four grandchildren. Their mother died three days ago after stomach complications.
“I have no regular source of income, I used to collect firewood and sell then buy food for my family. Now no one is even buying my firewood. I am a widow, where will I feed these children?” Eyangan wonders.
In Eyangan’s household skipping meals has become the order of the day. However, this grandmother faces yet another mammoth task—feeding Tipen, her ailing grandson.
When Tipen’s mother was alive she was able to at least breastfeed him, but now she is gone.
“In the past I used to get KSHS. 100 (1 USD) after selling firewood this was enough for me to buy enough food for my family but now maize has become very costly. I cannot afford a mere cup of maize flour to make porridge for my grandchildren. I have been forced to boil palm tree seeds and feed them, even the malnourished ones,” she says.
Children’s Worrying Health
Eyangan’s worry for her grandkids is constant. Four year-old Alemilemi is suffering from a protein deficiency illness, Kwashiorkor, stunted growth and malnutrition while his younger brother and follower Tipen is severely malnourished.
Tipen is weak and tired from dehydration and hunger. “He has since given up on crying because he can only cry but there is no food to offer. I only gave him black tea just to stop him from crying,” Eyangan explains.
Tipen sits listless on his grandmother’s laps. His pronounced ribs and thin body structure testify to his severely malnourished state. He weighs a mere 5 kilograms with an upper arm circumference of 9 cm. A measurement under 11 cm, means a child under five’s life may be in danger because he or she is suffering from severe acute malnutrition, explains Thatcher Ong’onga, World Vision Nutrition Project Officer.
In May World Vision nutritionists and volunteers were conducting on a community outreach when they discovered suffering Tipen. He was immediately admitted to the Out-Patient Therapeutic Program (OTP) and put on Ready-To-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF). Slowly, but surely, Tipen’s health began to improve thanks to the Plumpy Nut that he was feeding on, which provided at the health centre supported by World Vision and UNICEF.
Just when his health was getting better, the hunger in the household became severe, and his mother died, leaving him even more vulnerable. “Food became scarce, the children were starving and the only meal available to them was the Plumpy Nut,” Tipen’s grandmother says.
According to Thatcher, Tipen was not getting the right quantity of Plumpy Nut per day because he was sharing with his siblings who did not have food, contributing to his worsening health.
“The grandmother was under instruction to give the child seven and a half sachets a day (two and half, for every serving of breakfast, lunch and dinner); but this was not happening, because there were other starving children in the household. Tipen’s current status is a result of severe hunger and poor feeding. He needs food,” says Thatcher.
Therapeutic Paste Saving Lives of Children
In St. Mary’s dispensary in Turkana Central, World Vision nurses and nutritionists are closely monitoring the nutritional status of children and administering the food that is helping keep them alive.
“The dispensary receives about five cases of severely malnourished children every month,” explains James Wahome, a nurse in the dispensary.
Severe cases with complications are referred to stabilization centres 65 km away. “But because of poor infrastructure many do not reach the hospital in time or even alive,” says James.
Other severely malnourished children are immediately admitted to the Out-Patient Therapeutic Program and put on Plumpy Nut, while moderately malnourished children are referred to the supplementary feeding program and given a corn soya blend.
10-month-old Janet Aroo is slowly recovering from severe acute malnutrition. Janet had a MUAC of 10 cm when she was admitted to the therapeutic centre run by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation with support from World Vision.
“We immediately put her on Plumpy Nut,” explains Thatcher. Thanks to the life saving therapeutic paste Janet is on her way to recovery.
What World Vision is Doing
To help avoid a further nutrition crisis, UNICEF and World Vision are supporting children under five, as well as pregnant and lactating mothers across the drought stricken district with life saving nutritious food at the OTP and SFP centres.
Over 6,000 malnourished children have been admitted into the OTP program and are currently receiving treatment. Meanwhile, more than 34 nurses have been trained in community management of acute malnutrition and are based in the 34 health facilities that World Vision is supporting.
World Vision continues to do health outreaches, treating minor illnesses, vaccination and administering vitamin A supplements targeting children too ill to get to the health centres in Turkana district.
Since Janet was admitted, her health has slightly improved. World Vision staff are also closely monitoring Tipen’s and other children’s feeding and treatment process to avoid a tragedy. However the ongoing drought and food crisis are hampering the recovery of many children.
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