Joni Byker reports from Kenya, where Samaritan's Purse is supplying food and other aid to thousands of hungry families and malnourished children in drought-stricken regions.

Today I went to a community with the Nutrition and Hygiene team to visit a dispensary, meet with the women, and screen their children for malnutrition.

I’ll admit I was excited to see this process and the results, but I was more nervous than ever to try and photograph it. In no way, shape, or form do I want to embarrass or offend someone we are trying to help. I never pull my camera out unless the chief says it is OK, and I don’t take pictures of anything going on that isn’t a part of our projects directly.

Women appear to be more afraid of the camera than anyone else. Unfortunately, in this culture, women are looked at as third-class citizens. They are always covered from head to toe, and rarely speak unless the men are not around.

So knowing I was going to a project where 98 percent of the people there were going to be women, I was a bit nervous. I want to be able to show and tell what God is doing here, but to do it in the most sensitive way possible.

To my surprise, the elder of the town said it was no problem to take pictures. I was happy to hear that, but he didn’t discuss it with the women, so I was still wondering if it was going to be OK. Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer! The women were very welcoming to having their picture taken (within reason—you don’t just stick a camera in their face!). But I also tried to be as sensitive as possible as not to make them feel ashamed if their child was severely malnourished.

As the women entered the meeting place, I noticed an older woman who was carrying a newborn. I knew that our screening was for 5 years and younger, but I wasn’t sure about newborns. I walked over to her, saw the tiny baby, grabbed her hand and smiled at the woman. The child’s name is Izidra.

Ten minutes later, it was time for Musa, our nutrition program manager, to perform the MUAC on this little baby. (The MUAC is a measurement taken around the left arm of the child. Depending on the measurement, it tells us if the child is at risk, moderately malnourished, or severely malnourished).

As Musa approached the woman, he asked her how old Izidra was. “Eight months,” she replied. I looked at Gabby, our hygiene program manager, and both of our eyes went wide. Eight months old—and this little girl was the size of a newborn baby. Smaller than most newborns in the States. Next to Izidra was another 8-month-old—a twin brother—more than twice the size of his sister.

After the MUAC, each child is weighed. Children all over the world hate this part the most. Some stranger puts them into a harness where they hang free from a scale. I can imagine the fear of some of these children! Most screamed in terror, and a few sat calmly and enjoyed the ride.

It was time for Izidra to be weighed in. With much screaming, the final weight measured was 3.3 kilos, or 7.7 lbs. The same Gabby and I both weighed when we were born.

Little Izidra has a long road ahead of her. We were able to send them home with some supplementary food, to assist in getting her the proper nutrition in order to grow.

As we were leaving, someone approached our leader about Izidra’s mother, who was also very sick with an infection. We stopped at the house to see her, and assisted in her transport to Garissa, where she could get medical attention from the Red Cross.

The team screened 83 kids under 5 today, with 15 of them registered as malnourished.
I’ve never known what it is like to be hungry. I don’t know what it is like to go without water for extremely long amounts of time. I can’t imagine what it is like to be a mother and to feel helpless in providing what my child needs most.

It isn’t easy for them. The people here value two main things: their children and their livestock. With no rain for years, both are extremely hard to sustain.

As a photographer, I want to tell their story to help them, not hurt them. I pray that every encounter I have while I am here is one that is blessed and ordained by God so that they, even for a short while, feel that love through me and my team.

Samaritan's Purse , Child Screening

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