Three years ago the Lamp launched a program for malnourished children called Medika Mamba. The reason for the program was simple. Children would come to the clinic in very poor health, but it was evident to the doctors that what they needed most of all was not medication but nutrition. There happened to be an excellent solution at hand. An organization named Food & Meds for Kids had developed a marvelous nutritional program based on heavily fortified peanut butter. “Mamba” is Creole for peanut butter. The peanuts are themselves purchased from small scale Haitian farmers, giving the program a doubly positive impact. The peanut butter is fortified with vitamins and minerals, and additional supplements are added to the children’s diets. The children come to the clinic each day to receive their “medication” and are carefully supervised to ensure that they are gaining weight at an acceptable rate.
In years past, one of our outstanding nurses, Moza-Flaure Alcius, was in charge of the program. But last year, Flaure took comprehensive training as a midwife and has now become our Women’s Health Nurse. We are very happy to announce, therefore, that Nurse Ylienne Georges has taken over the reins of this valuable program. She completed the short training course provided by Food & Meds for Kids last month and is certain to do an excellent job.
Please note that a full course of medika mamba and supplements for one child costs approximately $160. It is a terrific way to make a very direct impact on a young person’s life. Proper nutrition in the early years of a child’s life are critical for physical growth, mental development and resistance to disease. In the case of children that visit our clinic it is very often life-saving. The gift of life, in literal fact. Click on our Donate button and type “medika mamba” or “nutrition program” to make sure that your gift is applied to this program.
