The CREN, the Nutritional Rehabilitation and Education Centre at Loul Sessène hospital, receives children with the most severe forms of malnutrition from across the municipality.
None of them arrives alone: beside every child is their mother, as much a part of the care journey as the child.
It all begins with diagnosis: weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference show how severe the malnutrition is. Next comes medical treatment for the conditions that often accompany it, such as infections, along with therapeutic feeding designed to help children regain weight and strength, day by day. Play is an important part of the therapy too. Malnutrition slows development and dims young children’s liveliness: physical activity and play help them rediscover their energy and curiosity.
While the children regain their strength, mothers take part in awareness sessions and cooking demonstrations. They learn to prepare nutritious meals with local, affordable ingredients, so they can continue at home what they have learned at the Centre and prevent relapses.
As part of the project “The New Paediatric Hospital. Together Against Maternal and Child Malnutrition”, the CREN will receive new equipment and tools to strengthen its work with vulnerable mothers and children.
The project is made possible by the generous 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.
