In the villages of Loul Sessène, often reachable only by motorbike or animal-drawn cart, community health workers have to carry everything they need with them. To identify children who are malnourished or at risk, they rely on a few tools that are easy to transport, simple but accurate.
The first is the stadiometer, a graduated rod that measures the child’s height. For the youngest children, length is measured instead, lying down. Combined with weight, this measurement shows whether the child is growing as they should, compared with reference values for healthy children.
The true symbol of the fight against malnutrition, however, is the MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference): a coloured band wrapped around the middle of the upper arm that gives an answer in seconds. If the measurement falls in the green zone, the child is well. In the yellow zone, it indicates moderate acute malnutrition. In the red zone, the malnutrition is severe and the child’s life is in danger.
Light and inexpensive, the MUAC can be used anywhere, even where there is no electricity.
Finally, the health workers check the feet. If gentle pressure from the thumb leaves an imprint, it is oedema, another sign of severe malnutrition.
This activity is part of the project “The New Paediatric Hospital. Together Against Maternal and Child Malnutrition”, made possible by the support of the Fondation d’Entreprise Wavestone, which since 2009 has promoted initiatives for children living in poverty and extreme vulnerability, in France and around the world.
