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Being a teenager in the compounds in Lusaka you can be faced with a range of the regular issues teenagers face. Peer pressure, pressure to conform to the latest trends, to follow your friends, relationships, sex, school and exams.
Alongside the regular issues, the individuals we work with live in urban poverty, meaning that food in the household can be scarce, they may not be able to go to school because of sickness or lack of money for school fees. Social issues they face from deaths in the family, to dealing with their HIV status can lead to anxiety based issues. And with no focus on mental health support in the overstretched government health system teenagers can suffer from stress, leading to missed medication. |
OVER THE COURSE OF 8 MONTHS PAUL LEARNED ABOUT FOOD HYGIENE AND GOOD NUTRITION - ENABLING HIM TO GAIN 12KGS (25% bODY MASS INCREASE)
Paul is 17 years old and has been coming to the TTF Clinic since 2009. At the beginning of the year Paul came to the clinic weighing only 40kgs (placing him below the 1st percentile on the BMI index for his age). He informed our staff that there was no food within the home, and without food he was struggling to take his medication. He was immediately enrolled into our nutritional support program.
Paul lives with his mother, a single parent, and some of his cousins. As one of the older patients on the nutrition program, and because his mother was working Paul would come to the weekly nutritional education classes and food pick ups on his own. Over the course of three months he learned how to prepare his own meals and how to eat a well balanced diet, plus the education he received on food hygiene has led to a reduction in the number of stomach infections he was suffering with. For Paul, the impact of this program has been immeasurable. Since he came to us at the beginning of 2016 he has gained almost 12kgs (a 25% weight increase) and grown 5cms. Whilst he still has a way to go before he will reach the target weight we have set for him (56Kgs), the improvement in his health has been fantastic and his slow and steady weight gain signifies the importance of understanding food preparation, hygiene and nutrition for the vulnerable teenagers we work with.
By helping teenagers to understand the importance of a good diet, we are empowering them with the knowledge to know how to stay healthy so they can go to school, get an education and work their way out of poverty.
Paul lives with his mother, a single parent, and some of his cousins. As one of the older patients on the nutrition program, and because his mother was working Paul would come to the weekly nutritional education classes and food pick ups on his own. Over the course of three months he learned how to prepare his own meals and how to eat a well balanced diet, plus the education he received on food hygiene has led to a reduction in the number of stomach infections he was suffering with. For Paul, the impact of this program has been immeasurable. Since he came to us at the beginning of 2016 he has gained almost 12kgs (a 25% weight increase) and grown 5cms. Whilst he still has a way to go before he will reach the target weight we have set for him (56Kgs), the improvement in his health has been fantastic and his slow and steady weight gain signifies the importance of understanding food preparation, hygiene and nutrition for the vulnerable teenagers we work with.
By helping teenagers to understand the importance of a good diet, we are empowering them with the knowledge to know how to stay healthy so they can go to school, get an education and work their way out of poverty.
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