We are deeply grateful for the Menlo Church family and your heart for the world’s most vulnerable children. Because of your concern for those Jesus referred to as “the least of these,” it is our honor to present you with this proposal to continue investing in Survival interventions at Iglesia del Nazareno Monterón Marcavelica-Sullana (PE0373), located in Marcavelica, Piura, Peru. This church offers hope to the Marcavelica community — an area of extreme poverty where mothers and babies regularly lack medical care.
Iglesia del Nazareno Monterón Marcavelica-Sullana
Location: Marcavelica
Number of Mother/Baby Pairs: 15
- This coastal village is home to 3,600 people.
- Spanish is the common language.
- Typical houses are made of wood, with dirt floors and corrugated iron roofs.
- The regional diet consists of fish, beef and rice.
- Primary threats to children here are related to extreme poverty and the lack of sanitation.
- Common health problems in this area include parasites, dengue fever and malnutrition.
- Most adults work as subsistence farmers and earn the equivalent of $100 per month.
- This community needs employment opportunities.
Empowering Mothers, Saving Babies
Since 2003, Compassion has worked through local churches to implement Survival initiatives, saving and improving the lives of mothers and babies across the developing world. Trained staff members provide the love, care and practical guidance mothers need to help their babies overcome the most difficult circumstances. Globally, thanks to the support of generous donors like you, Survival initiatives at over 1,700 church partners are helping more than 25,000 mothers and their babies, ages prenatal to one year old.
Compassion’s Survival Program began in Peru in 2003, expanding into areas with the greatest need. Today, about 937 caregivers and their infants participate in Compassion’s Survival Program across Peru at almost 100 church partners. Through home visits, nutritional support, stimulation exercises and parental education, every one of these babies receives the developmental support they need to have the best start to life.
Providing Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to the current pandemic, formal group meetings for mothers and babies in Compassion Survival are paused. Survival staff members have close contact with mothers and babies through phone calls and WhatsApp to provide spiritual and emotional support and education. Health monitoring can be conducted via telemedicine unless in-person care is required. Families are receiving basic groceries and hygiene supplies.
Reaching the Most Vulnerable
Survival is crucial for infants in Peru. For every 1,000 live births, 12 babies die. The maternal mortality rate is 68 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Around 13 percent of children suffer from stunting, while about 14 percent of children suffer from malnutrition. From pregnancy through the crucial first year of life, mothers and babies in Peru must deal with threats such as waterborne illnesses, a lack of nutritious food and limited or no medical care. Compassion’s Survival initiatives give vulnerable babies the best possible opportunity to reach their first birthday and go on to have a healthy childhood. In recent decades, a focused effort has resulted in an encouraging reduction in child and maternal mortality rates. But the need remains critical.
The Best Start Possible
Through Compassion-assisted church partners, trained staff reach out to expectant and new mothers with a comprehensive range of services that address their most pressing needs. The goal is to give babies the best possible start in life and to give mothers the practical and emotional support they need to care for themselves and their children.
Your generous gift will provide the following services:
- Prenatal care, to help prevent maternal death and increase birth weight.
- Skilled birth attendants, to reduce the incidence of serious obstetric events.
- Immunizations to prevent potentially life-threatening childhood diseases.
- Breastfeeding support and instruction, to promote health, bonding and immunity.
- Growth monitoring, to help babies hit their development milestones.
- Rehydration therapy, to combat the effects of diarrhea.
- Supplemental food, to ensure babies have the nutrition they need to grow strong and healthy.
- Literacy classes, to give mothers the confidence to access essential services.
- Income-generation training, to equip mothers with the skills needed to earn an income and take control of their future.
These essential services are delivered by qualified medical professionals, tutors and Compassion’s trained Survival specialists. Survival specialists build a relationship with each mother and regularly visit them and their babies at home. This provides the opportunity to reinforce the lessons mothers learn at their local Compassion center and to provide counseling as they navigate the unique challenges of parenthood, often for the first time. Survival initiatives focus on pregnant mothers and babies up to their first birthday, when the children transfer to the Child Sponsorship Program. This follow-up program is provided through the same center and allows mothers and children to continue their journey out of poverty under the familiar wing of their local church.
Support Mothers and Babies in Peru
Your generous gift of $7,952.50 will improve the lives of 15 mothers and their babies who will benefit from Survival care at Iglesia del Nazareno Monterón Marcavelica-Sullana over the next 12 months. As babies reach their first birthday and move on to the Child Sponsorship Program, additional mothers will benefit from your gift by joining Survival programming over the course of the year.
Help Babies Reach Their First Birthday
Thank you for considering supporting Compassion Survival at Iglesia del Nazareno Monterón Marcavelica-Sullana in Peru. Through your generosity, you will be providing life-saving services that allow babies to reach their crucial first birthday. You will be creating a stable, healthy environment for babies and giving mothers the opportunity to learn new skills and grow in confidence. Thank you again for believing in Compassion’s work and for helping to give the most vulnerable the best start in life.