The Bounce Back: A Transformational Story of Ahlam’s Recovery From Severe Malnutrition

Two months ago, little Ahlam began showing some unusual body changes. The fourteen- month old baby was getting thinner and her energy level was diminishing day by day. Her 40- year-old mother, Amino from a rural village, was left thinking about her daughter’s worsening health complications.

Amina, mother of young Ahlam, shared her deep appreciation for the unwavering support of the New Ways health team. ‘Every time we walked into the clinic, you welcomed us with warmth and positivity. Even when we felt lost, your optimism made all the difference’ Amina said. She credited the team’s dedication and smiling faces with giving her family the strength to endure the difficulties.

She had noticed a big change in Ahlam’s ability to walk around and talk probably. At first, Amino thought it was a normal health development, but Ahlam continued to show new symptoms.

Unable to fully grasp her daughter’s changing health conditions, Amino had no choice but to take her severely malnourished child to a health center in Buulamareer district in Lower Shabelle. Amino walked about a mile to get to the nearest health center in the district. Amino finally arrived the nutrition center where Ahlam was assessed by a team of nurses at the health facility.

Luul Qasim, a nurse who works at the nutrition division in Bulamarer Health Center, first saw Ahlam and was ‘shocked’ by how badly malnutrition took a toll on her. Since her time at the center, Luul has seen countless cases of malnourished children, but the story of Ahlam was “very different and unique” to her. According to the nurse, Ahlam weighed half of the normal healthy two-year-old weight.

In Somalia, frequent droughts and armed conflict have forced millions of children like Ahlam to face acute malnutrition. Ahlam was checked up and later admitted to a special care unit where she was put on a rigorous treatment plan. She was given plumpy nut sachets—a highly nutritious peanut-based paste used to treat severe acute malnutrition for 60 days.

According to the nurse in charge of Ahlam’s rehabilitation, she needed two months of intensive inpatient nutrition treatment. She suffered from anorexia, a severe nutritional deficiency in the body which stunted her growth.

After spending two months at the therapeutic center getting care from the nurses, Ahlam has shown promising signs of recovery. With constant feeding of nutrients, she has regained her weight, whereby finally Ahlam was discharged with full recovery.

She thanked the nurses who took care of her daughter with a smile and optimism. Most kids who come to the center are critical because parents don’t react quickly to any developing medical condition children display at early stages, which causes nurses and the health center to invest more resources to treat children in need of longer treatments. In addition to her busy work schedule, Luul and other health staff offer education and awareness counseling sessions on potential early malnutrition symptoms, prevention strategies, and what parents can do when they need urgent medical assistance.

Since its launch in 2019, Bulamarer Health and Nutrition Center has supported hundreds of children with severe malnutrition cases like Ahlam. Despite the continuous support from New Ways and our partner UNICEF, more help is still needed to support children’s health in the Lower Shabelle region.

According to UNICEF, Somalia Nutrition Cluster Dashboard 2023, 4.9 million people are in need of nutrition response. New Ways Organization believes Ahlam and others receiving care from the center are just the tip of the iceberg. New Ways Organization implements critical health programs that touch, save, and impact lives.

Despite the limited resources available, the OTP center in Bulamarer continues to function and treat patients. The story of Ahlam’s recovery is a testament to the power of collective action—when communities, organizations, and individuals come together, lives are transformed.

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We thank UNICEF for supporting our health and nutrition projects in Somalia.