As Kate shares her story, the toddler in her arms snuggles sleepily up against her shoulder. “My child is called Agnes,” the mother shares, a soft smile gracing her face.
It’s difficult to tell how old Agnes is, just by looking at her. This is the way it often is in poor communities. A consistent lack of food and nutrients during a child’s early years can hinder development. Instead of growing strong and healthy and tall, children under the age of 5 must fight to simply survive.
But you can help save a child like Agnes … and all it costs is $40.
Kate loves her child. You can see it in the way she talks about her and the way she looks at her. In poor countries like Uganda, starvation isn’t the result of a lack of love or care from parents — it’s the result of poverty and an ongoing struggle for work and for resources.
Despite Kate’s best efforts, she struggles to provide enough nutrient-rich food for her daughter to grow. The longer the little girl goes without food, the sicker she becomes.
“When she doesn’t have food, she looks sick,” her mother said. “She screams and has stomach pains, and she seems like she has a fever.”
Without the proper nutrients, a little girl like Agnes will face a number of devastating physical complications. Her growth will be stunted, causing her body to stop developing and making her appear far younger than she is. Her limbs will not grow, her organs will begin to fail, and even her mind will struggle to keep up as she grows older.
But malnutrition and chronic hunger cause more immediate issues as well. Children who are starving suffer from a compromised immune system, and even a simple illness can cause children like Agnes to die.
In fact, malnourished children can suffer up to 160 days of illness each year.
For Kate, hearing her daughter’s painful screams was devastating. And the worst part? There was nothing she could do to help Agnes.
But there is something YOU can do to help rescue a child from starvation. For just $40, you can provide enough food to feed a child for an entire year. The food you give will restore a child’s body and, for the next year, give him the comfort that comes from knowing his next meal is taken care of.
Because of you, a mother like Kate will no longer have to listen to her child as she screams in pain. Because of you, a little boy or girl will have the sustenance needed to begin to thrive.
The solution to starvation is simple … your $40 will help save a child’s life.