Changing a life by something as simple as a meal

Sibonelo is a beautiful almost 3 year old girl whose eyes now shine bright. But as young as Sibonelo is she has already lived the unthinkable. She was first discovered staying at a step grandmother’s house where, although the other children at the homestead where well fed and loved, precious Sibonelo was treated with disdain. If she wasn’t being locked up alone in the outdoor corn storage cage she was chased away from people and food being referred to as “that animal”.

Her finger tips where dirty, swollen, and infected from scratching at the dirt looking for something to eat to ease her hungry tummy. She was so malnourished at 1 ½ years old her skull had not formed together still displaying a soft spot on the top of her head.

Through the compassionate and proactive steps of a Children’s Cup teacher, Sibonelo was rescued from this heart breaking and deadly situation. With quick action from local doctors in Swaziland placing her on Plumpy Nut (a high calorie fortified peanut butter) and a daily diet of Manna Pack Rice from Feed My Starving Children, Sibonelo is alive today.

You see, children like Sibonelo who are greatly malnourished will quickly gain weight on a short term hospital provided diet high in calories, proteins, and vitamins. Yet when healthy and no longer eating the food the hospital provides, many children go back into the same environment that caused the malnutrition in the first place. This then creates a dangerous cycle of malnutrition that many times ends in death.

For Sibonelo, this cycle will end in life. Through the partnership of Children’s Cup providing care for orphans and vulnerable children in Swaziland, and Feed My Starving Children providing a well balanced and fortified meal through their Manna Pack Rice, children’s lives like Sibonelo are being saved daily.

Sibonelo and the children of Swaziland thank you for their full tummies of nutritious food. Tonight Sibonelo, no longer fighting off hunger pains, will sleep peacefully with a full tummy knowing she is loved.

Check out our partner Feed My Starving Children at http://www.fmsc.org