Changed Lives: Limi
“I can now buy food ... We know how to give them a balanced diet, and the whole family is healthier.”
Limi lives with her husband and children in a remote village in Tanzania’s Mwanza region, on the edge of Lake Victoria.
Limi and her family are farmers, relying on their crops for sustenance. “Life is very hard if there is flooding or no rain,” she says. “When the crops are ruined, we go hungry.”
Malnutrition contributes to high mother and infant mortality rates in Tanzania, with 238 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 41 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Over 26% of the population live in severely food-insecure households, and 30% of children under five show signs of stunting.
When Limi gave birth to her second child, Shoma, in 2017, she was so malnourished that she couldn’t produce breast milk. “When Shoma was four months old, we were admitted to the hospital because she had malnutrition. But there was no food at the hospital, and her condition worsened. She only weighed five and a half pounds at five months old.”
“Every week when I collected milk, I also learned about malaria, HIV, nutrition, preventing diarrhoea, and how to prepare bottles."
While in hospital, Limi learned about Egmont Partner Forever Angels, who support the health and nutrition of orphaned, abandoned, and malnourished babies and empower their caregivers. “They said we could get milk for Shoma. They helped me by giving me formula milk every week. It was hard to travel to collect it, but Shoma gained weight and became healthy.”
Forever Angels provide vital nutrition for infants and support for caregivers, including food parcels, medical cost assistance, and household necessities. “They gave me food parcels to help me and my eldest son, Juma, who was also malnourished. Without Forever Angels, Shoma would have died, and maybe me too.”
They also build caregivers' confidence and parenting skills: “Every week when I collected milk, I also learned about malaria, HIV, nutrition, preventing diarrhoea, and how to prepare bottles. Before, I didn’t boil water and Juma was always sick with diarrhoea. We also didn’t have a mosquito net and often had malaria. When we were sick, we couldn’t farm and went hungry.”
When the infant is ready to be weaned, Forever Angels support caregivers to start small businesses for sustainable family health and nutrition. These businesses have, on average, quadrupled caregivers' income enabling them to provide their families with three meals a day.
Forever Angels assisted Limi to establish a fish business, catching, drying and selling fish. They also helped her improve the family's small farm.