Cameroon – Madeleine is accustomed to doing things on her own. In the remote area of Cameroon, where she and her family live, life is about survival, and Madeleine has gotten good at surviving. Her husband is a livestock farmer, and they struggle to put enough food on the table for their already large brood of children.
Resources of any sort are scarce, particularly when it comes to healthcare – the closest clinic is over 3 miles away, and it is understaffed and lacks many basic medicines. The lack of food and healthcare in this area of Cameroon often results in high numbers of children who suffer from malnutrition.
When Madeleine became pregnant again, she and her husband simply put their heads down and continued to work. They had survived this long on their own, certainly they could figure out how to feed one more mouth.
Rather than make the 3-mile trek to the clinic for prenatal visits, Madeleine decided that her time would be better spent handling her pregnancy at home and continuing to support her husband and care for their family.
“This time, I felt that my pregnancy was different, and my baby was the healthiest among all those I delivered before.”
But one day, a MAP partner came to her village to distribute prenatal vitamins to pregnant and nursing women, and Madeleine received enough to last through the rest of her pregnancy.
The supplements made such a difference. Madeleine told MAP’s partner, “this time, I felt that my pregnancy was different, and my baby was the healthiest among all those I delivered before.”
For women like Madeleine who have lived life merely trying to survive, something as simple as a vitamin supplement can make all the difference in the world. Madeleine not only felt stronger and healthier during her pregnancy, but she also delivered the healthiest baby she had ever had.
This baby was entering a difficult life, to be sure, but Madeleine had been able to give this child the best start possible. Already her child’s future looked brighter.
