Every year on the 25th of April, the whole world commemorates World Malaria Day, which is aimed at highlighting the need for continued effort in malaria control and prevention.
Undernutrition Solution: RUTF in Malawi
An impoverished child in Malawi looks ten years old when in fact he is sixteen. His three year old sister is underweight with a low immune system. They don’t have enough to eat at home. Due to limited access, their diets lack vegetables, fruits, and meats. Therefore, they are not getting the needed diversity of vitamins and minerals. This puts them both at risk of infectious diseases.
45% of global deaths among children under 5 years old are linked to undernutrition, according to the World Health Organization. These deaths occur mostly in middle and low-income countries, like Malawi.
The words used to describe undernutrition are nearly as startling as the reality:
- Stunting: when someone is a low height for their age
- Wasting: when someone is a low weight for their height
- Underweight: when someone is a low weight for their age
Some consequences of undernutrition in Malawi are:
- Poor physical and mental health
- Increased healthcare costs for families
- Low energy
- Reduced productivity
- Slowed economic growth
In the simplest terms: children are starving. What are we doing about it?
Orant’s Mobile Outreach Clinic provides treatment services to malnourished children, teens, and adults. The treatment is deceivingly simple but wildly effective. The prescription? Peanut butter.
Technically, the prescription is called RUTF, meaning Ready to Use Therapeutic Food. RUTF is a combination of powdered milk, peanut butter, and micronutrients. Orant buys its supply from Project Peanut Butter. Project Peanut Butter sources raw materials and labor locally, which supports the Malawian economy.
RUTF saves people’s lives. The treatment is combined with routine medical check-ups. Every 2 weeks, Orant’s clinicians re-screen the patient. They measure the patient’s height, weight, and mid-arm circumference. They conduct appetite tests and assess any complications. Then, clinicians either discharge the patient or ask them to continue the program. In addition, Orant offers counseling to parents and guardians to learn the cause of undernutrition and to plan an exit strategy.
Undernutrition in Malawi is a serious problem. We started running RUTF programs in 2017. Our biggest challenge is the expense of the program. While we run the program as often as we can, we still wish we could run it more. This past week, we adjusted our budget to launch 2021’s first RUTF program. We are excited to support our next cohort of patients within the next few weeks.
The Orant Journal
Improving Healthcare Services through Quality of Care Assessment
Last week, we were visited by the quality of care assessment team from Dowa District hospital. Read today's blog post to learn about how this exercise is important to us and the community we serve.
New Wheels from Orant’s Healthcare Program
We are always happy when our support brings a smile on peoples faces and changes their lives. In this week’s blog article, we are talking to Andrea Mwale, a 41 year old man from Chapuwala village in Kasese. Andrea shares his gratitude towards the support that our Healthcare program has recently provided to him.
School Surveys Lead to Better Learning Outcomes
Data is one of the most important tools in all our programs as it helps us measure whether our programs are making an impact or when it’s time for change. For the past three weeks, our Education program has been surveying schools in our catchment area. Check out today’s blog to learn more about how this survey is going to contribute to our Education program.
Improving Healthcare Access in Rural Malawi
We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new Mobile Outreach Clinic this week, which is a great stride that our Healthcare program has achieved! We have started our operations with treating Chatalala Community in Kasungu district, Traditional Authority Njombwa. Read our blog post to learn more about how the new mobile outreach clinic will serve communities better.
Malaria Season in Malawi
Summer in the Southern Hemisphere brings malaria season in Malawi, a dangerous disease that can kill those who do not receive treatment in time. Orant works to ensure that those afflicted with the disease receive the proper treatment and recover.
The Challenge of Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Malawi
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remain a huge burden to the healthcare sector in Malawi. Read our blog post to learn more about NCDs.
Conducting Mobile Outreach Clinics in Malawi
Your donations have purchased a new trailer for our Mobile Outreach Clinic! Read our latest blog as our Mobile Outreach Clinic (MOC) team shares how the new trailer will be of great help to the team’s daily operations.
A New Hope for Mothers in Malawi
In rural Malawi, pregnant women face many challenges including lack of access to prenatal care, poor nutrition, and lack of safe spaces to deliver their babies. Orant is working to change that with the renovation of our maternity ward. Read about it in this week’s blog.
Orant Improves Eye Health in Rural Malawi
On the last Wednesday of every month, our Kasese Health Centre conducts eye clinics for local residents in need of treatment. Read our latest blog to learn more about our eye clinics and how they help people in rural Malawi.