The Salvation Army’s Chikankata Mission Hospital in Zambia
We’ve recently launched a campaign to get the children at The Salvation Army’s Chikankata Mission Hospital in Zambia some MANA. We love the dedication of the team there, people who are doing their creative best to help as many children as they can.
Meet the Mwiinga family of Zambia. The family of five lives in a one room hut in the village of Kooma. One of the boys, Alumbwe, is malnourished and in need of RUTF to help him gain weight and thrive. Alumbwe is a patient at the Maternal Child Health Clinic (MCH) at Chikankata Mission Hospital. Alumbwe has been receiving RUTF at Chikankata, but the clinic is down to only two boxes.
The MCH sees hundreds of malnourished children like Alumbwe throughout the year. Children under five come to the clinic every month to be weighed, assessed, and given vaccines and medications as required. Throughout the week, the MCH refers children to the nutrition clinic held on Friday mornings. Thanks to donations, the MCH is able to hold cooking demonstrations using locally available foods and occasionally provide the families with food supplements to take home with them. As a mission hospital, Chikankata cannot afford to do these things on its own, and relies on the generosity of good people around the world.
This year, the Southern Province of Zambia saw too much rainfall and the maize crop that locals rely on to survive washed away. Additionally, army worms attacked newly planted crops, leaving produce at either half or less than harvests in previous years. Families whose children are already suffering from malnutrition will have even less to eat this year and the clinic will fill up with malnourished kids.
We’d be very grateful if you’d consider helping children like Alumbwe get the RUTF they need. One box costs $55 and will save the life of a child. Visit our campaign page to learn more!