Daphné was 17 when she became pregnant. She lived with her mother, stepfather, and two siblings in Bodin, a small community in northern Haiti in Cap-Haitian. After becoming pregnant, it was difficult for Daphné to receive proper care and nourishment, as her whole family was being supported on a small farmer’s income.
In Haiti, some communities do not have a health center with a midwife or gynecologist to help pregnant women access the care they need during pregnancy. Usually, pregnant women never receive care or checkups during pregnancy at all. They often deliver at home by a matron or someone in their family, putting them at higher risk for complications.
MFK supports community clinics in preventing malnutrition by distributing Mamba Djanm (Plumpy Dose) products as a supplement, from pregnancy to breastfeeding. MFK’s nurse and health agent who run the program also provide nutrition education, advice on prenatal and postnatal health risks, hygiene, breastfeeding, and more. Women who have taken part in MFK’s prenatal program and received Mamba Djanm as supplemental treatment have shown no signs of anemia or delivered low birth weight babies.
Daphné was invited by a health agent to come to the clinic in Madeline. Daphné was able to receive Mamba Djanm over a period of six months and was assessed by a gynecologist for her pregnancy. She later gave birth to a beautiful baby boy at a healthy weight. As Daphné was graduating from the program, the baby’s weight was 6.4 kg (14.08 lbs) when he was 3 months old.
Daphné shared, “Thanks to MFK’s Mamba Djanm, I feel better and healthier. Every day, these sachets have helped me fight hunger, give me strength, and meet my basic nutritional needs. My baby has been saved from malnutrition and will grow up healthy.”
