Richler - A Story of Advocacy.
11 years old.
36lbs.
Last March, we conducted our very first Community Advocate training program, where we invited ten caregivers of former Middle Ground patients to be our pilot participants. In this three-day course, we focused on recognizing the subtle signs of malnutrition, how to refer children for treatment, and disseminating information in the main areas linked to malnutrition prevention - nutrition, hygiene, and safe water practices, within their communities. This program was a massive success, and to date, those ten caregivers have referred over 20 children for admission for inpatient treatment.
One of the men who participated in the training last year was Augusthene. Augusthene was incredibly active in the training program, and once he returned to his community, he didn't waste any time sharing the information he had learned. One of the first people he spoke to was a man named Enel, and that conversation changed the entire course of Enel and his son, Richler's lives...
Richler is one of 10 children born to his mama, Jocelyne, and papa Enel. He has been hungry nearly his whole life. On the day he was admitted for inpatient treatment, he weighed 36lbs 9oz, and his upper arm circumference was only 127mm. Richler's body was so starved of proper nutrition that he couldn't tolerate solid food for the first few days of his treatment. Instead, he was given special milk called F75 to reintroduce his body to food slowly. Finally, after three days of therapeutic milk, Richler started eating small amounts of Medika Mamba. Once he got a taste of mamba Richler's recovery was astounding. In just 29 days, he gained 9lbs, and his arm circumference grew to 160mm! Richler left Middle Ground completely transformed. This summer, he will be enrolled in our school sponsorship program, and by September, he will be starting school for the very first time in his life.
All of this is because one man was given the knowledge to share with his neighbors. Our community advocate program is saving and changing lives! This year we want to host two more of these classes and invest in an additional 10 caregivers, with the first training as soon as the end of this month. It only costs $1,000 per class to share this life-altering information with those who need it most, and in turn that $1,000 will save the lives of hundreds, and one day, even THOUSANDS of children in Haiti.
When you give to Middle Ground your donation enables us to invest in these advocates, and ease the suffering of entire villages that have been ravaged by childhood disease and starvation. Your partnership is vital to the success of our programs in Haiti, and directly impacts the lives of real individual people like Augusthene and Richler. This world-changing work is a powerful thing to be a part of, and we are so thankful to have you on our team!
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