Malnutrition is a reality for 50% of infants and children in Lesotho. Malnutrition is a broad term that encompasses both quantity and quality of food consumed. Malnutrition can be chronic or acute and can result in growth failure, macronutrient and micronutrient deficiencies. If left untreated, the effects of malnutrition can be irreversible.
Around Mokhotlong camptown, TTL is known as the organization that, ‘makes babies fat.’ We are proud of our reputation and happy to see the infants and children in our care flourish. Infants and children that are supported in the safe home spend, on average, four months receiving intensive nutritional, medical, emotional and developmental support – but we’d like to see that length of stay reduced. Recently, we reviewed and changed the safe home diet to make it more nutritionally complete while still utilizing locally available foods and adhering to cultural preferences. We have increased the amount of healthy fat in the diet, added more fresh fruits and vegetables, increased the amount of animal protein and created age-specific dietary plans. Although there is nothing quite like walking into a safe home full of thriving infants and children, we are hopeful that these changes will result in a more timely reunification process. We look forward to monitoring and evaluating these changes and hope to enjoy the fruits of our efforts!
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| ‘Me Manthati providing a little taste testing along the way |
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| ‘Me Maliphoofolo scooping some avocado to add to the mashed potatoes
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| Lehlohonolo, affectionately nicknamed Ntate Makoenya for his chubby cheeks, likes the new diet! |
The TTLF Fellow is a representative of the North American organisation The Tiny Lives Foundation. Based for one year in Mokhotlong, Lesotho, the TTLF Fellow serves in an administrative support capacity for the Basotho charity TTL.
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