April 2014 Community Infant Milk and Food Supplement Program Update

Seventy food boxes are put together every two weeks, to be collected by families from the nearby community. Each box helps supplement their needs and consists of rice, sugar, oil, peanuts, soap and washing powder.

Often people come to us for help when a parent has died, disability makes employment impossible, or they just are finding it difficult to make ends meet. They are visited by a Mozambican team who will assess the situation and decide if they need to be added to the program. Sometimes providing a food box is enough help for them to keep their family together, instead of us taking their children into the Centre.

Visits are also done to reassess the situation. Because some of the people found work this year, we have been able to take them off of the program and add others in need.

Lucas has been on the milk program for eight months now. I first saw him in Church with his Mother, and it was obvious by seeing his big eyes in his tiny sunken in face, that he was underweight and very unwell.

Upon joining the program we were able to help him and his mother get the medical help that they both needed.

Lucas is a totally different little boy now and is gaining weight rapidly every week.