Plumpy Nut
Home made nutritional supplements supported by Fundraising in the UK
"When my daughter and her partner (Dr Becky & Dr Paddy) decided to volunteer for Masanga Uk I was so proud! I looked forward to their messages home about the wonderful work of the hospital and the amazing people in Masanga.
It struck me that here in the Uk I took for granted feeding my children nutritious food as they grew up &, in contrast, parents in Sierra Leone were grateful for the nutritional support provided by the hospital… plumpy'nut!
I teach exercise classes, so decided to run a small fundraising campaign for plumpy'nut money! We danced and exercised, had cake sales and a raffle. The ladies in my classes thoroughly enjoyed learning about the great work of Masanga hospital and we were able to help just a little.
Keep up the great work!"
- Sadie Davy,
Fundraiser for the Plumpy Nut project
Massive thanks to Sadie for her ongoing support of this project!
Background
Severe Acute Malnutrition is one of the most common conditions seen on the paediatric ward in Masanga. According to UNICEF one in three under 5 year olds are stunted in Sierra Leone and nearly 200,000 per year suffer from malnutrition. The mainstay of treatment is a careful refeeding regimen using high protein supplements, most commonly a peanut butter style chew bar lovingly branded "Plympy'Nut". Stock of these supplements relies on government or charity supply which, if interrupted, can seriously hinder recovery.
The Programme
With this programme high calorie, protein rich supplements are made using readily available produce by some of the wonderful women in Masanga. It removes the hospital's reliance on external providers and aims to ensure that malnourished children on the ward don't miss out on their vital meals.