Sudan (Southern Sudan) - Alice Wyatt, Medair's Nutrition Manager for Southern Sudan, recounts a dramatic story from an emergency response for severe malnutrition.

John was the first arrival to the clinic on the day Medair returned to Maban County. The young boy was carried in by his mother, bundled up in blankets. At first glance, I didn't think he was alive; the boy looked like a skeleton. He was severely wasted from diarrhoea and dehydration. I didn't recognise him at all, but as I talked to his mother I realised I had met this child before.

Six weeks previously, when we were in Maban County to carry out a nutrition survey, we visited John's house. At that time, John was still walking around. However, the signs of severe malnutrition were already there, and he had very noticeable oedema (swelling due to fluid in the tissues) in his legs. We referred him to the clinic for treatment but at that time, the clinic lacked suitable drugs and milk formula to treat severe malnutrition.

In the meantime, John's condition had only become worse, and he now returned to the clinic on the brink of death.

Medair battles malnutrition in Maban County

Medair was launching an emergency response to treat children with severe malnutrition in Maban County, in association with the international mission organisation, Serving in Mission (SIM). Our response provided inpatient wards for the care of children with complicated malnutrition, and a weekly outpatient clinic for those with severe malnutrition who were well enough to be treated at home. We also ran outreach activities to find children suffering from malnutrition and to deliver essential health promotion messages to help prevent malnutrition.

However, at the moment John was carried into the SIM clinic, we were unable to provide him with the inpatient care he required. Our Medair team had just arrived, and we were still awaiting the supplies needed to set up the temporary ward.

In addition, John's mother was unwilling to stay the few hours we asked to observe him because she was heavily pregnant and anxious to get home. Consequently, we could only give him drugs and a special rehydration solution for malnourished children. We urged him to return in two days time when the ward was open, and said goodbye. We could only pray he would survive that long.

John is treated at the nutrition village

The inpatient ward, also known as the nutrition village, opened a few days later, but John did not appear for treatment. We received word that his mother had just given birth, and was unable to bring him back. Fortunately, we knew where he lived so were able to bring him and his grandmother to the nutrition village for inpatient care.

John's condition was very severe. His weight was only half of what it should have been for his height. His skin condition was very poor with open sores and a fungal infection in his mouth. However, with encouragement, he took his treatment of milk and medications well.

After a week in the village, John began to improve and gain weight. We knew it would be a long road to recovery, but were hopeful that John could make it. Even his grandmother began to hope again for recovery. She told us that John would catch a fish for us when he was better!

In his third week at the village, John took a turn for the worse. His condition deteriorated, he was unable to drink, became dehydrated, and started having seizures. The team tried all we could to save him, but were unable to help him recover. Admitting that with our limited resources we could do no more, we allowed the family to take John home to die.

A miraculous recovery

A few weeks later at the outpatient clinic, an older lady arrived with a two-year-old boy who looked a little familiar. After a double-take, I realised it was John and his grandmother. He was alive and had gained considerable weight. I was shocked.

When John had returned home, he had been very sick for a couple of days but had managed to drink the rehydration solution. After a few days, he stopped having seizures. He became hungry and asked to eat some food. Suddenly, he had a huge appetite. His family gave him all the food he wanted and he began to gain weight.

We rejoiced to see him so healthy, and admitted him back, this time as an outpatient. John attended every week, receiving plumpy nut - a ready-made food high in energy, protein, and vitamins made for the treatment of malnutrition - and a medical check-up. He was discharged from the programme after exceeding his target weight, looking chubby and happy!

The malnutrition caused severe muscle wasting for young John, so he still needs help to regain his ability to walk. However, we are all hopeful that one day he will be able to catch for us that promised fish!

The Village of Hope After three months of continuous work, including the training of both SIM and local staff, we handed the program over to SIM. Upon our departure, the SIM team named the nutrition inpatient ward Ban Keeyan, which means in the Maban language, "The Village of Hope."

Hope is one of our core values at Medair, and this nutrition village is such an inspiring example of hope. John's road to recovery was not an easy one. But hope and faith helped John and his family battle an illness that almost took his life.

It has been a privilege to see hope returning to families who thought their children would never recover, and to hope with them that these children will grow up to make a difference to the future of Southern Sudan.

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Medair brings life-saving relief and rehabilitation in disasters, conflict areas, and other crises by working alongside the most vulnerable. Its internationally recruited staff are motivated by their Christian faith to care for people in need, providing practical and compassionate support, regardless of race, religion, or politics. Founded in 1989, Medair has an unwavering commitment to bring hope to the world's most vulnerable.