Written by: World Vision Staff; Edited by Leanna Cappiello
It was early in 2017 when Lajabu noticed that Fazira, her daughter, wasn’t quite herself. She was losing weight, withdrawing from her usual playtime with friends and generally looking less like her happy self. Like any concerned parent, Lajabu did what she could to get her daughter the help she needed.
“At first, I thought my daughter was suffering from malaria,” she says, so she went to the doctor to get some help. But when Fazira tested negative for malaria, her mother knew something else was wrong.
Lajabu was referred to a growth monitoring centre in her community where her daughter could be weighed. “It was then that I was told she was malnourished,” says Lajabu. From there, she was referred to a supplementary feeding program so her daughter could be fed nutritious food and regain her health.
Lajabu was encouraged to check out a session on food, nutrition and meal prep, held by a World Vision trained health promoter. She learned how to prepare meals for Fazira by using simple recipes with local ingredients. “I felt very encouraged because all the resources were easy to find, and I was determined to do it for my daughter.”
This—according to Lajabu—was a turning point for her.
“Since then, I’ve made nutritious meals for Fazira,” says Lajabu. “She has regained her appetite, and the next time I went to the growth monitoring centre, my daughter was declared fit and was discharged upon screening results.”
Strong mothers make strong daughters. In Mposa, we’re just supporting moms with the skills they need to move forward.
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