Alick learns to walk, again

Ivy’s son, Alick, had been ill for
two years. During this time, Ivy
tried traditional medicine but
to no avail. She thought that her
son was bewitched, but clinical
examinations showed that he was
suffering from severe malnutrition.
Thanks to a special highly
nutritious food, supplied by
Concern, Alick is now back on his
feet.
Ivy had been abandoned by her
husband after he married another
wife. In order to feed her
children, she started a firewood
business.
“There are no trees in our
area, so it was a difficult business.
But I had to forage for pieces of
wood as this was the only
business which does not need any
capital,” she said.
On a good day Ivy could get
MK100, which she would buy food
for her two children. However, in
most situations, she would fail to
even gather enough firewood for
sale and this meant a day without
a meal.
Alick has been ill for two years.
In these two years of the young
boy’s illness, Ivy tried traditional
medicine but to no avail. She
thought that her son was
bewitched but clinical
examinations show that he was
suffering from severe acute
malnutrition.
His body was swelling and he
had continuous diarrhoea attacks,
which made him weak. Eventually,
Alick gave up on walking as it was
too taxing, considering how weak
he was.
“I almost gave up on Alick,” she
said.“He didn’t look like a human
anymore. He couldn’t even keep
his head upright and I had to tie
him at my back with a cloth so
that I protect his neck.”
Alick’s condition was critical.
The Dwambazi Health Centre
admitted him in the nutritional
Page 5
Community Therapeutic Care
rehabilitation unit .
Alick was put under treatment
with a strict diet of ready to use
therapeutic food (RUTF), which is
supplied by Concern Worldwide,
to boost his nutrition status.
After two weeks of intensive
feeding with RUTF, Alick regained
his health and made an attempt to
walk again.
“At first he didn’t make it, but I
kept on encouraging him to try,”
said Phiri.
A few days latter, Alick
astonished everyone by walking
on his own. His health is improving
and the swelling is subsidising.
According to Phiri, Alick could be
on his way out of the NRU to join
the outpatient programme,
commonly known as OTP.