Photo of the month: February - Haiti
10 Feb 2009 Health and nutritionHaitiThe Photo
“I took this photo of a child in a church which had been transformed for the occasion into an outpatient treatment room. The diameter of his upper arm is being measured to screen him for malnutrition. This simple system of health evaluation is very reliable and ultra-quick, if you think that a group of 7 nurses can check up to 250 children a day!
I chose this photo because of the hands holding the child and the look in his eyes. His mother holding him in her arms for reassurance, the gentleness of the nurse’s hands doing her job, and in the child’s eyes a scared look about the whole procedure, as if asking us for help. Clearly he is too young to realize that, at that moment, he couldn’t be in better hands. Contrary to what one might think, child malnutrition is not always visible. Sometimes, for example, they may look a bit overweight; but this is really a subcutaneous layer of liquid that has developed due to lack of suitable nourishment.
Luckily, this particular child is in good health and after the check-up he went back to playing. But round him there are other mothers and their children whose state of health is far worse. Children who need urgent treatment – or even hospitalization. Thanks to Terre des hommes, this is possible.”
The author – Sandro Mahler
The Ticino photographer Sandro Mahler visited Tdh health projects in Haiti in November 2008, when he attended some days of screening for malnutrition. Previously he had reported for Tdh on the fight against malnutrition and on juvenile justice in Peru and Guinea.
Sandro Mahler photographs works of art (paintings and sculptures), portraits for journals and magazines, photographs for publicity and architecture, as well as doing photo-reportage. On top of all this he gives courses at the Central School for Graphic Industries (CSIA) in Lugano.
The project – Haiti
- Nutrition
Set up in 1995, the Center for Nutritional Recuperation (CREN) in Cayes treats children suffering from severe malnutrition. Transferred in 2004 to the public pediatric services in the Regional Hospital, Tdh continues to support this organization at both a technical and financial level.
Community prevention activities for mother-and-child health and nutrition were developed in rural locations in the region. With the aid of health workers who visit families, Tdh passes on good health advice based on breast-feeding, the right food for pregnant women and for babies. In the “Clubs for Mothers”, mothers meet to exchange knowledge and experience.
- Water purification and hygiene
In the villages, Tdh installs systems of access to drinking water and collective latrines, to avoid the focal points of epidemics. One important task is promoting and training towards improved hygiene. Within the communities, young mothers are particularly encouraged to use bottled water when making up food for babies.
