home» Articles» 2012» Famine relief Africa: food strengthens the body

More weight, better health

About four months have passes, since humedica distributed corn, beans and oil for the first time at the Tei Wa Yesu Health and Family Center. Since then, not much has changed in the small village of Gai – but it definitely has in the lives of the patients.

All of the 120 women, men and children are HIV positive. It is important that they have enough to eat, as their disease weakens them and the life-saving drugs additionally affect their stomachs. As is the case in many regions of Kenya, also here in the East of the country, there has been no rain for years, and the harvest has failed once more.

The local food, which has been supplied by humedica every two weeks, has had great effect: 90 percent of the patients have gained weight since October, more than 90 percent have been able to take their drugs on a regular basis thanks to the strengthening food. Their state of health has improved.

One of the patients we meet again is Florence. Her gratitude humbles us. She has brought a present for us: small eggs of the few chickens that are left to her and other families. She looks good and with a broad smile she confirms that she is feeling stronger.

Thanks to the humedica donations, the entire family of six had enough to eat during the past few months. And if there were any neighbours who had less, they naturally shared their food with them. But Florence also knows that there are other households with families so large that they had difficulties to provide for all of them – even though 30 kilos of corn, 30 kilos of beans and 2.5 litres of oil every two weeks sounds like a large quantity.

During the wet season, Florence planted beans. But before she could harvest the crops, the rain had failed and the sun had once more burnt down from the sky. A large part of the plants had withered even before they could bear fruit. She does not complain, but from looking at her you can tell that she is worried about the future. The meagre harvest of 60 kilos of beans will probably be used up soon.

Paul, the administrator of the Health Center, puts everyone’s thoughts into words: “We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to humedica for the many bags of corn and beans, and for the cans of oil they provided during the past four months. Our medical records are written proof of the fact the lives of our patients have improved. If the people in Germany could once more support us during the coming difficult months, until the wet season, which will hopefully set in next March, that would be a great help to us.”

A visit to the primary school next door confirms that also the orphaned children have benefited from the distributions. They are cheerful, and skip and run across the dusty school yard. The food has done their small bodies good.

Dear friends and sponsors, please continue to support the humedica relief measures by means of a targeted donation and contribute to relieving people’s misery at the Horn of Africa. Thank you very much!

       humedica e. V.
       Donation Reference “Famine Relief Africa”
       Account 47 47
       Bank Code 734 500 00
       Sparkasse Kaufbeuren

You can also support us in a fast, secure and simple way by means of sending a text message: send a text message containing the reference DOC to +49 8 11 90. You will be charged 5 euros, with 4.83 euros of this amount being directly channelled into the humedica disaster relief aid.