Kwashiorkor and Marasmus Put into Perspective

This past week my mom attended a meeting, and a part of it was a lecture about malnourishment. She brought back samples of the food supplements they give children with kwashiorkor or marasmus, and we got to try them.

For those of you who don't know, kwashiorkor is a version of malnutrition where a person doesn't get enough protein in their diet. They may be eating, but not a balanced diet, resulting in enlarged livers, and protruding stomachs, to name a few side effects. The supplement is called Plumpy Nut. 

It's quite close to the peanut butter they put in power bars. It's full of protein to help families and induviduals with kwashiorkor, and the lecturer said that 'it tastes so good, they'll give it to the children, and the adults will eat it too!'

Sadly kwashiorkor occurs in the villages here in the North. There is a lack of education and variety of foods available to the people up there. :(

Marasmus is different than Kwashiorkor. People with marasmus have not gotten any nutrition at all. They will get extremely thin, and lose muscle. The supplement is a pap (porridge).

The porridge supplement tasted like bread, and actually wasn't that bad, despite what I was told. Much of the cases of marasmus are also in the villages up North here in Namibia. It's tragic to think that 30% of the children here in Africa are malnourished, but hopefully these supplements will help improve the lives of millions!