casa jackson
More than half of Guatemalan children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition, the highest rate in Latin America. Casa Jackson is a private hospital opened in 2008 to address Guatemala’s chronic malnutrition problem by providing intensive rehabilitative treatment to infants and children suffering from acute malnutrition and its side effects. Equipped to treat 20 patients at a time, babies and children are admitted to Casa Jackson by their families or through referrals from local health centers.
An international team of volunteers assists 24 hours a day with feeding, bathing, changing diapers, and spending time with the children. The love and attention of these dedicated volunteers helps the children recover just as much as the individualized medical care they receive during their stay, which can vary from a few weeks to many months. Throughout the treatment process, Casa Jackson staff involves families through regular visits and education about nutrition and childcare. More than 150 babies and children have been rehabilitated through in-house care at Casa Jackson, but supervision doesn’t end when we send healthy children back to their homes and families. Social workers continue checking in with families to make sure the children continue to grow up strong and healthy. Casa Jackson also conducts field clinics to monitor malnutrition, educate the public on proper nutrition, and identify patients. Hundreds of outpatient cases have been treated in surrounding communities since 2008. |