Each month we gathered at the storage facility the Villanueva family had generously provided, to prepare the Fortiplus nutritional supplements for distribution. There, we met a little girl we affectionately called Yarita. Though nearly two years old, she did not walk or talk. Always in her grandmothers arms or sleeping, she was listless and often sick.
We started giving her the Fortiplus supplements which, fortunately, she liked very much and, within six months she was a completely different girl, running and talking! A year later Yarita showed amazing intelligence and insisted on helping us pack the supplements. Spontaneously, and with great joy, she announced, “Yo soy una nina Fortiplus” – I am a Fortiplus girl.
Witnessing Yarita’s transformation and her joyful pronouncement gives us the strength to endure whatever challenges or difficulties UMA may face.
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Malnutrition in the first few years of life can cause irreversible damage including cognitive and learning deficits, reduced motor skills and immune deficiencies. This damage then perpetuates the poverty which caused it.
This story was sent to us by Mariamah Flores of Usaha Mulia Abadi. UMA, is a Susila Dharma project, named by Bapak, meaning “Noble and Eternal Effort.” UMA’s aim is to help children reach their manifest potential, offering social service, education, and nutrition programs in San Miguel Atlautla, Edo. De México.
One of their core services is a nutrition program called Fortiplus. Every month, Fortiplus volunteers and workers get together to pack and distribute two tons of nutritional products, free of charge to 1000 children in local schools. They follow up by monitoring children’s height, weight, and overall health (checking for signs of anemia, common among malnourished populations), to track their impact on children’s development.
