Nurse me: let's defeat child malnutrition in Benin

Dear friends,

Last May our Director, together with 5 Aleimar volunteers, went to Benin for our periodic monitoring trip. This opportunity gave us the chance to visit all our projects active in the country and especially to meet our local partner and all the children supported.

Arrived in Cotonou, in the extreme south of Benin, our volunteers went up to north and arrived in the center of the Country in “Les Collines” Department. During the first days of the trip our volunteers had the chance to visit “L’Abbraccio” Newborn Hospital of Sokponta, with whom Aleimar has been collaborating for years.

Aleimar and L'Abbraccio Hospital want to reach the most fragile children also going outside the hospital, on the field. That's why Aleimar supports a fundamental monitoring activity that the staff of the hospital carries out in the villages: the monthly screening of all the children that live in the most rural areas near Sokponta. Aleimar’s volunteers have been involved in the periodic visit in Kpossegan village and had the possibility to weigh a great number of children, collect their health parameters and the local staff redirected the most serious cases of malnutrition to L’Abbraccio Hospital. This has been a really emotionally engaging activity for all the staff and for all our volunteers! Thanks to these visits on the field, we can understand the real need of the local population and generate a culture based on prevention and mutual help!

During these screening visits the local staff of L’Abbraccio Hospital organizes cooking sessions and involve all the mothers of the village. These workshops are aimed at learning how to combine nutritious foods and follow the most basic hygiene practices.

After a week, our trip has restarted and our volunteers have gone up to the north of Benin, to Atakora and Alibori department, where Aleimar supports three child care centers. Here they delivered powder milk, which is fundamental for the babies hosted. In total Aleimar distributed 1.000.000 CFA / 1.650 USD of milk powder, this means 233 boxes. Each box of milk powder lasts 5 days for one child.

These are our two directions: prevention and assistance.

Thank you so much for your essential help!

Dear Donors,

we are really happy to share with all of you news about Aleimar’s last monitoring trip to Benin! Last November our volunteers and Country Manager Antonio and Piero had the opportunity to visit all our projects in the north and in the center of Benin and in particular the foster homes of Bagou, Natitingou, Perma and Tanguieta (in the north-west and north-east). This trip gave also the opportunity to strengthen the bond between Aleimar and the children’s Hospital L’Abbraccio of Sokpontà, which is a really reliable local partner.

During all the visits, our volunteers had the chance to buy on site and to deliver to all the foster homes powder milk for the hosted newborn children; our local representatives that manages the centers where the children live report that during the last months a higher number of babies are brought there by the local tribunal and social promotion centers. Most of them are orphans or their families cannot afford to raise other children. The relatives know that in the foster homes they can receive daily meals, health care and – when they grow older – a proper education.

Thanks to your donations, we have been able to raise 300 USD on GlobalGiving in the last three months, corresponding to 22 kilograms of powder milk. Moreover, Aleimar has launched a special campaign focused on Italian donors; this campaign allowed to increase the total amount of milk bought and given to the foster homes.

This is a elementary but fundamental contribution that can avoid child malnutrition of the newborns welcomed in the centers. Child malnutrition can lead to growth and cognitive problems that could affect their entire life. Preventing stunting and food insecurity generates a real positive impact for this and the future generations.

Thank you!