She didn't walk or crawl before, the doctor helped me a lot, she even eats by herself now.
Evelyn Suárez, mother of Alexa Palma, 16 months old.
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In Honduras, at least 338,000 children need nutritional support. UNICEF supports 10 prioritized municipalities: Choloma, San Manuel, Villanueva, Omoa, Puerto Cortés, La Lima, San Pedro Sula, El Progreso, Santa Fe and Ocotepeque with comprehensive services that include nutritional recovery; water, hygiene and sanitation; and life-saving child protection services.
In El Progreso, located in the department of Yoro, the Las Minas health center is located, one of the centers prioritized as a critical point due to vulnerability to climatic events, livelihoods and exacerbating situations of extreme poverty, to provide nutritional care services and treatment for malnutrition and acute malnutrition.
Briana (2), smiles for the camera accompanied by her parents on her way to the health center where she receives nutritional care. El Progreso, Yoro in Honduras, 2024.
Briana, 2 years old, was treated there. Her family decided to take her to the health center because she had diarrhea and did not want to eat or walk. There, when she was attended to, they explained to them that she was at risk of acute malnutrition.
"She was getting sick of the stomach with diarrhea, she was also getting bloated, she did not want to eat, not want to sleep, she became very sad. I started to bring her in, and they told me she was underweight, then I started to bring her to the control and give her the sachets and now she has had a big change." Elsy Fernández, mother of Briana (2).
Briana (2), and her mother Elsy Fernández interact with Lucía Escobar, UNICEF Health and Nutrition Specialist at the health center where she receives nutritional care. El Progreso, Yoro in Honduras, 2024
"When I make her lunch, I give her a little green sachet, which is once a day, and I give her food and she eats it all. Elsy Fernández explains.
To achieve better results, Briana's family also received training on safe water management, a hygiene kit that includes soap, chlorine, water bottles, and other products necessary for daily use. The promotion of healthy habits is intended to have a chain effect, with families sharing the knowledge acquired with their communities and/or immediate families and thus multiplying these messages.
"They explained to me how to wash my hands, how to purify water with chlorine and how to improve my children's hygiene. They gave me a kit with soap, toothpaste, toothbrush... and with that and the care with the water, they didn't get sick anymore. She had worms, and with the attention and what they explained to me I have seen a change." Elsy Fernández, Briana's mother, comments on the support she received in terms of water, hygiene and sanitation.
Alexa (1), is breastfed by her mother at the health center where she receives nutritional care. El Progreso, Yoro in Honduras, 2024
Another support this family received was unconditional cash transfers to ensure that they have access to services such as transportation for Briana's check-ups, nutritious food and other necessities during her recovery stage.
" I used the money they gave me to bring my daughter to the health center, I used it to pay for transportation, and to buy her food and medicine. I feel happy because with all this I see that my little girl has advanced a lot, she laughs, plays... I have many dreams for her, she always plays at being a doctor." Elsy says.
Another case treated at the center is Alexa, one year old. She was diagnosed with moderate acute malnutrition thanks to the nutritional recovery program. Her mother, Evelyn, explains that Alexa was not gaining weight and was constantly getting sick in her chest, which is why she decided to come to the center.
Alexa (1), with her mother Evelyn Suarez during a nutritional consultation at a health center in El Progreso, Yoro in Honduras, 2024.
"The doctor here is very good, she told me to put her under control so that she would gain weight and she did. Before, she didn't walk or crawl, the doctor helped me a lot. She even eats by herself; she likes bean soup. Today she walks, runs and has an appetite. They also gave us two water containers to keep the water clean and well chlorinated, I always use them. I learned that I must change the water and add a few drops of chlorine, which they also gave me". Explains Evelyn Suarez, Alexa's mother.
Alexa (1), with her mother Evelyn Suarez during her screening session at the health center where she receives nutritional care. El Progreso, Yoro in Honduras, 2024
"They gave her vitamins, little sachets, and she liked them from the beginning and that was good for her to get better. At that time, we don’t have money to buy food, and the cash transfers were very helpful. My husband works on field with sugar cane seasonally, and we had no way to buy food. We used it for food, transportation and diapers. If I walked here, it would take me more than an hour and my baby would arrive sweaty and tired." Comments Evelyn Suarez, mother of Alexa.
More than 45,000 children under 5 years of age have received multisectoral services to address acute malnutrition. These included nutrition care; water, hygiene and sanitation; protection and unconditional cash transfers in the period 2023-2024 with the support of UNICEF and the Nutrition Working Group (GTN), thanks to the contribution of CERF and in coordination with partners and local authorities. Contributions such as CERF's make it possible to initiate crucial life-saving activities in the areas with the highest prevalence of child malnutrition in the country.
