Reducing anemia & improving nutrition in Peru
Peru’s recent economic growth hides unjust social inequalities. Development has by‐passed the remote rural regions, and chronic malnutrition among children is common. These factors are driven by food insecurities, poverty, and inaccessibility to health services. CMMB Peru’s project activities are committed to further reducing malnutrition, anemia, and other determinants of maternal and child morbidity.
CMMB Peru health projects focus on improving the health and nutrition of women, children, and their communities in underserved and marginalized areas including:
- Distrito Macate, Provincia del Santa, Region Ancash
- Distrito de Chilca, Provincia de Huancayo, Region Junín
- Distrito La Esperanza, Provincia de Trujillo, Region La Libertad
The CHAMPS model, a strategic initiative, is utilized to meet this goal. This model is composed of three main objectives:
- Improving quality and access to healthcare
- Improving health conditions: water, sanitation, and nutrition
- Promoting economic development
- Empowering vulnerable women
CMMB Peru meets these objectives through the implementation of different projects and activities, including:
- The First 1,000 Days Project
- Health and nutrition for children under five, and pregnant women
- WASH – water, sanitation and hygiene
- Animal husbandry programs to promote economic self-sufficiency
- Support from Bon Secour Sisters and domestic and international volunteers
- Rehabilitation for children with disabilities
The First 1000 Days Project trains health professionals and community health workers, advises parents on child and family health and nutrition, promotes safe water and sanitation practices, and provides nutritional supplementation to underweight and malnourished children. The project also supports and addresses barriers to economic self‐sufficiency through animal husbandry projects using locally appropriate livestock including guinea pigs, ducks, and quail eggs.
CHAMPS Peru complements existing community-based programs designed to improve maternal and child health. The initiative will expand on and diversify existing interventions to focus on integrated management of neonatal and child illnesses and prevention and screening for cervical cancer and diabetes, with greater coordination among local social actors.
Rehabilitation with Hope is a community-based service program in Peru, which assists children with physical and cognitive disabilities by providing much needed access to quality therapy, based on the implementation of the World Health Organization’s community-based rehabilitation model. In this post, volunteer Jessica Saenz shares her first-hand experience with the program.
Snapshots from Peru
Peru
Click on the pin icons on the map to discover CMMB's programs and initiatives in Peru.
Improving the Health Conditions of the Most Vulnerable Women & Children in Peru
In 2016, 32% of children in CHAMPS Peru recovered from anemia, significantly higher than the national recovery rate of 15%.
In Peru, anemia in children under five is widespread, impacting intellectual and cognitive development. Young children are especially vulnerable to malnutrition. In Huancayo, Luciana suffers from anemia due to a diet with limited protein. Like many three year olds, she can be a picky eater. With help from CMMB staff, Luciana’s mother, Maxima, came up with creative and economical ways to incorporate more protein into her daughter’s diet. The best news? Luciana loves her mother’s healthy new recipes. She told us, “My mom makes the best pudding.”
Learn more
In 2015, 33% of pregnant women enrolled in CHAMPS Peru were fully recovered from anemia before their due date.
CMMB community health worker, Luz-Angelica is viewed as a mom, aunt, trusted older sister, and dear friend by the women in her neighborhood. Many women will knock at her door, ask her medical questions, and seek her advice even though she’s not a doctor. Luz-Angelica was one of the early residents in a squatter’s settlement built on the hillside, known as Esperanza, outside the city of Trujillo, Peru. In Spanish, Esperanza means hope.
Anemia can seriously impact the health of pregnant women and their unborn children. During her year of training, Luz-Angelica learned about preventing and treating anemia, which foods are best to provide much needed iron, about the benefits and properties of vegetables, and the importance of prenatal care. After her training, Luz-Angelica began educating other women in the neighborhood. As a mother of five, Luz-Angelica knows the importance of nutrition during pregnancy and enjoys sharing her knowledge with other mothers.
Learn more
82.5% of children participating in Rehabilitation with Hope improved in at least one type of therapy received.
Sadly, people with disabilities in remote corners of the world like Huancayo are often stigmatized. CMMB's Rehabilitation with Hope program is working to educate this community so more people will understand why children are born with disabilities and their incredible potential to lead fulfilling lives.
Kenji (age 7) was born with Down Syndrome. His mom, Theresa, says that thanks to the love and commitment of the CMMB therapy team, Kenji is walking and talking. He is almost able to say complete sentences. The family is very proud.
Learn more