Ketchina was 25 months old when she was admitted into our inpatient treatment program for the second time. She and her mama, Jules, come from an area of the capital that has faced extreme insecurity over the past few years, and their family was not spared the repercussions. For the first few months after she graduated, Ketchina did well at home. Still, on January 4th, when she came for a follow-up appointment, our nurse noticed that she was losing weight again and recommended that she be readmitted for a second round of inpatient treatment. When readmitted, Ketchina weighed 18lbs 1oz (she had graduated six months earlier weighing 19lbs 13oz). When Ketchina was readmitted, her mama told our staff that she had a 5-year-old step-brother at home showing signs of malnutrition. Jules’ family brought her brother Pierre Roger the next day at our urging. After being examined by our nurse, it was determined that he had severe marasmus, and he was admitted for treatment alongside Ketchina, with Jules caring for both children.

Ketchina and Pierre Roger spent 38 days in inpatient care, where Pierre Roger gained 7lbs and Ketchina gained 3lbs. We are hopeful that with continued close observation and extra support from our staff this time around, Jules will be able to keep her daughter and brother healthy at home.

11-month-old baby boy, Dory was first admitted to Middle Ground in October of 2021, but because he was so severely ill he was transferred from our care to a local hospital, where he spent 9 weeks fighting life-threatening anemia. During his treatment at the hospital, Dawens underwent a blood transfusion. He was finally strong enough to transfer back into our care on January 21st, 2022, where he was treated with Medika Mamba for 28 days. During that time Dawens gained 3lbs. It was amazing watching the life come back into this precious little boy during his time in our care.

5-month-old Dawens was admitted to our inpatient program on January 10th, 2022 with severe kwashiorkor. His feet and legs were badly swollen and the edema has already begun to travel up his body into his face. He was a very sick little boy. Dawens spent 30 days being treated with F-100 formula. On day 31, he had turned 6 months old and Medika Mamba was added to his treatment protocol. It took a total of 39 days before Dawens was ready to graduate and return home, but when he did he was unrecognizable. His swollen, pale skin was replaced with a beautiful clear complexion and he practically glowed with health. His mama, in her own journey, had transformed right alongside her baby, and the joy in her face on the day that he graduated was an incredible reward for all of our staff who had invested so deeply in this little family.