Hello folks, here’s a story that broke my heart. Imraana from Seelampur slum is a mother of three young children. Her father died when she was very young. Her mother, considering her to be a huge burden, married her off at the age of 17. She soon found out that her husband did not work. There was no money and her in-laws threw the newly married couple out of the joint family home. Imraana soon had a baby. There was no food at home. Her husband drank everyday and beat her. She said she would dream every night of having food. She and her children would beg for food near wedding venues or near mosques. On most days she and the children would drink black tea and the sides of bread slices a man from a nearby bakery would give her. I was so heartbroken when I heard this. Imraana began to do some piece work for which she was given a pittance per piece. And all that came to a complete stop when Covid struck and there was a full lockdown.
One day an Asha warrior was passing by and saw Imraana’s 2 year old baby. She was severely malnourished and crying of hunger. Then they met Imraana and noticed that she was really thin. They brought the mother and daughter Shifa to the Asha centre immediately. Imraana weighed just 26kg. The Asha Health Team assessed the mother and baby on an emergency basis. They put them on a daily high calorie high protein diet immediately. And gave Grocery Parcels to the entire family. They gave Imraana a Vitamin D3 injection and put her on vitamin and mineral supplements. The baby was given supplements too.
Imraana developed a urinary tract infection because of the use of dirty pieces of cloth during menstruation. The team immediately treated her UTI and gave her feminine hygiene products.
Imraana now weighs 33kg and both she and the baby are slowly getting better. They both have a long way to go. All of Asha’s interventions continue and will do so for a long time.
I have promised myself and my team that we will never leave her alone again and will continue to take care of her and her children always.
There are so many malnourished women like Imraana. May we find them all, as we look for them, and reach out to them with love and healing.
Thank you to everyone of you. You are working so hard to raise resources for Asha. You are saving and transforming lives every day.
