“I like my peanut butter a lot, is delicious"

Javielis is Luciano's mother, he is 3 years old. They live in Coro, at Falcón state, in northwest Venezuela. Months ago, Javielis noticed changes in Luciano's appetite and behavior, she got worried and began to seek help.

“As a mother, I worried at the moment I saw he was irregularly eating and was losing weight. I was desperate because I needed him to eat to maintain a proper weight. That's why I took him to the outpatient clinic where he was treated by some wonderful doctors", explains Javielis.

Luciano is an only child. His mother tells, with a smile on her face, how she noted that he is more active, more curious, and plays constantly after receiving nutritional attention. At the time of speaking with the mother, Luciano was in the last week of treatment for acute malnutrition, with notable progress in his nutritional status.

“The first time I took him to a consult, they told me that he was malnourished, and I felt very worried. It is important for me as a mother to know how to deal with this problem, and even to be able to help other mothers in my community... because, in addition to caring for him and giving him his nutrients, they advised me so I could to help my son", says Javielis.

As we walk through a plaza in the center of Coro, the capital of Falcón state, Luciano tells how much he likes his “peanut butter,” as he calls his therapeutic food.

“I like my peanut butter a lot, is delicious”, says Luciano.

UNICEF, together with local authorities, contributes with nutritional care for children under 5 years of age, pregnant and lactating women in 53 health centers throughout the state of Falcón.

UNICEF, together with local authorities, contributes with nutritional care for children under 5 years of age, pregnant and lactating women in 53 health centers throughout the state of Falcón.

Touring the state, we also met María, mother of Yorfran (9 months), Reinaldo (2 years), and Franyerman (3 years), during their visit to a health center for their nutritional control. They attend their controls walking from her house, which is 4 kilometers from the outpatient center.

The favorite part of the route for Reinaldo and Franyerman is when they walk by the beach that is in the middle of the path to the outpatient clinic. Maria with her husband (who is a fisherman) and their children came back to Venezuela a few months ago. They had decided to go to Colombia looking for a better income to provide better food for their children.

“We got to the ambulatory, they treated me very well, they weighed them, they gave me the vitamins and they explained to me how I should give them the treatment. The treatment consists of bars and vitamins, and I must return with them soon for their follow-up”, says María Pérez.

“I want them to grow up, study, and make a good living for themself. I have already enrolled them in school, and they will start going very soon" explains María with enthusiasm.

UNICEF has trained more than 168 health professionals in Falcón in addressing nutritional disorders, treatment, measurement and screening of boys and girls, how to approach families to recognize warning signs and guarantee quality and humane care with the families that receive it, prioritizing the well-being of children, pregnant and lactating women.

In 2021, UNICEF reached more than 1 million children younger than 5 years old, schoolchildren and caregivers, pregnant and lactating women through essential nutrition services for the prevention, identification, and treatment of acute malnutrition in Venezuela.