World Health Worker Week: Treating Childhood Malnutrition in South Sudan
From left to right: Nurse Richard, Dr. Mahvash, and Nurse Bonface all worked together at St. Theresa Mission Hospital Nzara.
At St. Theresa Mission Hospital Nzara in South Sudan, health workers save lives every day. As the leading referral hospital in Western Equatoria State, St. Theresa receives the region’s most difficult cases, such as children suffering from severe malnutrition and disease. Health workers deliver critical services, providing maternal, neonatal, and child health to patients who have often gone without medical care.
In the world’s newest country, periods of calm are still punctuated by bouts of disruptive and deadly violence, and mortality rates remain tragically high. Still, at St. Theresa, there is much reason to hope. Amid staffing challenges and equipment shortages, determined health workers persevere.
Health workers are the first to respond to disease outbreaks, they support safe deliveries and treat malnutrition. With support from CMMB, St. Theresa recently constructed a surgical suite, maternity ward, and neonatal care clinic. In 2025, the hospital will open a new pediatric center, expanding access to healthcare to more children and their families.
As CMMB celebrates World Health Worker Week, we honor and thank the health workers making a difference for the world’s most vulnerable people—such as Nurse Richard, who specializes in nutrition at St. Theresa.
Nurse Richard’s Story
When he was young, and Sudan was at war, Richard badly wounded his leg. He and his mother were living as refugees in Uganda, and there was no health facility nearby. For two months, Richard suffered, until his mother was able to pay for a medication that healed his injury. The experience, and the memory of it, shaped his future.
“That is my motive to become a nurse,” he told Dr. Mahvash Madni, a CMMB clinical volunteer, when he shared the story on her podcast, “Welcome to the Village.”
Today, he works at St. Theresa Hospital as CMMB’s sole nutrition nurse for pediatrics. Much of his job involves education—sharing the importance of breastfeeding and teaching parents how to prepare three nutritious meals a day for their children. In addition to supporting community screening programs, Richard treats children suffering from severe malnutrition. Often, he finds that these children’s immune systems are further compromised by deadly diseases like malaria and pneumonia, making treatment that much more difficult.
The therapeutic milk formula used to help treat children with severe malnutrition. (Alissa Everett/Getty Images for CMMB)
His days at St. Theresa are long and challenging. Even as he cares for others, Richard worries for his own family. Concerned for their safety in South Sudan, he sent his wife and five children to live in Uganda as refugees. He sees them only about four times a year.
As he works hard to provide for his family, Richard knows the importance of his role at St. Theresa, and the impact he has on children and their families. After all, he has experienced firsthand the difference that access to healthcare makes.
Richard believes he has more to contribute. Once he can afford it, he plans to pursue additional training in areas like radiology, anesthesiology, neonatal, or intensive care so he can advance his career.
“I know if I get the chance, I can do it,” Richard told Dr. Mahvash. “But now, I need some support.”
Health Workers: The Heart of Health
Experienced, well-trained nurses like Richard are vital for saving lives in underserved countries like South Sudan. Yet the world faces a shortage of 11 million health workers by 2030. To strengthen healthcare globally, investing in the health workforce is critical.
As we celebrate World Health Worker Week, we are grateful for the health workers who deliver healthcare and medicine to women, children, and their communities in the world’s most vulnerable places. Truly, #healthworkerssavelives.
Please join us in advocating for trained, protected, and equipped health workers. Like Richard, they are the heart of health.