Menlo Church, thank you for your support of mothers and their babies at Ayudando a Sonreir Child Development Center, based at Iglesia del Nazareno in Peru. Currently, 15 mothers and their babies are receiving Survival support at this church. In the photo above, a mother named Karina writes a letter to thank you for your support.
This report includes a letter from a caregiver in the program, photos of recent Survival program activities and information on Compassion’s strategy for treating and preventing infant malnutrition.
Survival Statistics at Ayudando a Sonreir Child Development Center (January–June 2021)
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- 22 mothers and their babies received Survival support
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- 7 Compassion-assisted births
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- 100% of babies born at a healthy weight
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- 3 babies, on average per month, treated for malnutrition
A Letter From Karina, a Caregiver at Ayudando a Sonreir Child Development Center
Greetings!
My name is Karina, and I am the mother of Thiago.
I thank God for the support I have received from you since my baby was in the womb. Thank you for your prayers for my family, the advice I have received and the weekly classes I attend where I learn about God and the great wonders he does. My spirit has been strengthened, and I am encouraged to share my faith with my neighbors.
I am very grateful to Survival staff members for monitoring my baby’s health and for teaching me how to prepare balanced meals with fruits and vegetables. I also thank them for teaching us how to make crafts that help me to generate income and support my family. The program also provides a basket of nutritious food each month, a great help, especially during the pandemic. My son also received his first Christmas gift through the program.
I pray that God would take care of you and protect each one of you who support us. May God bless your family and your work.
Hugs from afar,
Karina
Recent Survival Activities at Ayudando a Sonreir Child Development Center
Survival staff encourage caregivers to read the Bible aloud to their babies and have invited mothers to participate in a plan to read the Bible over the course of a year. They began the plan in April 2020 and are currently continuing. In addition, Survival staff cover topics including nutrition, prenatal care, at-home hygiene and more.
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- Karina holds baby Thiago and the outline that will help her to read the Bible in a year.
Caregivers learn how to make crafts that help them generate income to support their families. The materials and training video were provided by the Survival program.
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- Dilcia and her baby, Emily, create a napkin holder with clothes pins that she can sell to generate income.
Survival staff provide food baskets and hygiene kits for caregivers. The food baskets include milk, noodles, soup, lentils, rice, sugar, oil, tuna fish oats and more. They are also given Bibles, folders, pencils and a discipleship book to help them grow spiritually. Babies receive warm clothes, diapers and wet wipes. Caregivers are grateful for the generous way in which the church meets many of their needs.
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- Mariela comes to the church to receive groceries and materials for an income-generation activity.
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- Kelly, an expectant mother, receives a Bible and nutritious food from the church.
Survival Program Spotlight: Treating and Preventing Malnutrition
Malnutrition is an underlying cause in more than a third of all deaths of children under five (UNICEF). These deaths can be attributed to stunting, severe wasting and restricted growth inside the womb. But most of these deaths can be prevented through proven and simple interventions. With this in mind, the Survival program incorporates several key services to preserve the physical well-being of these precious little ones:
- Therapeutic feeding services
- Education on preparing healthy, balanced meals
- Provision of food packs that include essential nutrition and vitamin supplements
- Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life
- Regular monitoring of each baby’s height and weight
A healthy birth weight is critical to a baby’s survival. By focusing on caregiver nutrition through prenatal care and nutritious food, newborns registered with Survival have up to a 30% better likelihood of having a normal birth weight.
Thank You for Your Support
Your gifts are helping to create healthier lives for mothers and babies. May the Lord bless you as you have blessed those in need. Thank you for partnering with Compassion International!