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Success Story
USAID-funded mobile health
clinics provide nutrition and
breastfeeding support
Meeting the Nutritional Needs of Babies Left Without Mothers
Photo: USAID
Eight-month-old Witslayenne lost her mother in the January 12
earthquake in Haiti. She was 2 months old at the time, too
young to remember what happened that day.
Rather than continuing to grow during the six months following
the disaster, Witslayenne lost quite a bit of weight. Noticing
the change, a neighbor in the Carrefour area of greater Portau-
Prince told her father, Etienne-Michelet, about the
USAID-funded Save the Children health clinic in Gaston
Margron camp. The clinic, which provides specialized treatment
to help combat Haiti’s high malnutrition and infant
mortality rates, is critical for babies like Witslayenne who
have lost their mothers.
Etienne-Michelet went to the clinic to get help for his
daughter, who was admitted into the ready-to-use infant
formula program because breastfeeding to nourish and keep
her healthy was not an option.
“Every eight days I bring her for weighing,” explains Etienne-
Michelet. After she is weighed to ensure she is growing at a
healthy rate, the clinic provides him with the next eight days’
worth of formula for Witslayenne.
The USAID-funded mobile clinic in Gaston Margron provides
malnourished children with nutritional supplements, such as the
fortified peanut paste Plumpy’Nut or, when necessary, readyto-
use infant formula. Clinic staff then counsel caregivers on
infant nutrition and encourage weekly visits so that the child’s
progress can be tracked.
Having completed her weekly weigh-in, Witslayenne’s growth is
on track with the program. Etienne-Michelet smiles, “I’m very
lucky. Not everyone has a child.”
As of July 6, USAID had provided nearly $62 million in health
and nutrition assistance to those affected by the January 12
earthquake.
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