A new start for malnourished children
Eastern DRC is experiencing a major crisis, exacerbated since January 2025. As a result, many malnourished children need support to make up for lost time in their development.
Yvette Mupenzi walks with the encouragement of Gabriel Dushimimana Ndjegeti, physiotherapist. | © N. Lagrisi Lusilawo / HI
Violence and population displacement, sources of malnutrition in children
Alliance Zawadi Munyatware, a 25-year-old bean trader at Kaduki market, has been through a lot. In 2024, fleeing the violence and clashes in North Kivu, Alliance took refuge with her family in one of the camps for displaced people in Bulengo, in the town of Goma. But when the armed groups Alliance Fleuve Congo / Mouvement du 23 Mars (AFC/M23) took the town of Goma in early 2025, she was once again forced to leave for Sake in extremely difficult conditions.
Even today, Alliance lives in precarious conditions, temporarily housed in a school in the town. Married, she saw her husband abducted by armed men a few weeks after their arrival in Sake and still has no news of him, living in uncertainty about his fate.
In the midst of this dramatic situation, Alliance has had to face another major challenge: the fragile health of her daughter, Yvette Mupenzi. Until the age of two, Yvette could neither walk nor crawl, a worrying motor delay linked to severe malnutrition. The family's precarious living conditions, frequent and hasty movements and lack of access to sufficient healthy food were all factors that led to the girl's malnutrition.
Catching up with developmental delays and strengthening the mother-daughter bond
"I went to a health centre to treat my daughter's malnutrition," explains Alliance. After initial nutritional treatment, she was referred to the HI teams to begin a treatment programme. Her daughter benefited from six sessions of stimulation therapy to develop motor skills, strengthen her muscles and rediscover the pleasure of playing and exploring her environment. Thanks to this specialist support, her progress has been remarkable: today, Yvette walks without difficulty and recognises the names of the toys provided for her.
Alliance gratefully acknowledges: "I can see a big improvement in my daughter's life. Today, she can walk, move around, play and even recognise toys by name.
Alliance's commitment has been key to this success. "By reproducing at home the exercises learnt during the sessions and actively participating in them, I have also contributed to improving my daughter's health," she proudly confides.
Over and above the physical progress, this experience has strengthened the bond between mother and daughter, illustrating how nutritional care, dedicated support and family involvement can transform lives in a lasting way.
