The deputy head physician at the Bambey district health center, Dr. Marème Maty Dioum, wants to be formal and transparent: "It would be difficult to give you the exact prevalence of malnutrition in Bambey at the moment, because we have incomplete data, due to strikes by certain trade unions." But she warns that the malnutrition rate in the entire Diourbel region is higher than the national average (17% out of 10%).

Speaking about the causes of this pathology, she cites the socioeconomic level considered very modest in Bambey and the eating habits that can be harmful to children. She thus relies on communication activities, cooking demonstration sessions for mothers and childcare workers.

The testimonies of Mame Diarra Diouf and Seynabou Ndiaye confirm the expert's statements. "My daughter B. Sène was often sick and weighed only 5 kg. After the consultation with the sisters, she was given a special meal based on cereals. Afterwards, I came to the health center and thanks to the treatment and food provided here, she now weighs 9.500 kg and is almost 3 years old. I had to completely change her diet," said Mame Diarra, a 36-year-old mother of six children living in Sara, in the commune of Gawane, on the outskirts of Bambey.

She admits that her child's illness was due to insufficient nutrition. As a housewife with her bus driver husband, their income is limited.

Seynabou Ndiaye has cared for her granddaughter since she was one year and seven months old. She was losing weight and weighed only 1.5 kg. Worried, she decided to take her to the sisters. However, due to a lack of follow-up, the little girl suffered a relapse. "Since then, I have strictly adhered to her medical appointments and treatment. Now 2 years and 6 months old, she takes three food sachets a day and now weighs 9.1 kg," says a delighted Seynabou Ndiaye.

The Survival Triplets and the Call to Action

Another story, that of Astou Faye, 19 years old and mother of triplets. Her first pregnancy. Originally from Thiès, she was found at the Bambey health center. Her children are sick. "They cried constantly and vomited at the same time. At first, I breastfed them, but later I had no more milk, having had a caesarean section, and I started giving them bottles. Sometimes, it's difficult to buy expensive milk at the pharmacy, because my husband and I can't afford it. In fact, when they were 5 months old, I started giving them millet porridge," she emphasizes.

Aged 8 months, Serigne Bara, Mouhamed, and Saliou are hospitalized for severe acute malnutrition with complications. "Two of the three twins weigh 3.8 kg and the other 3.9 kg. They are severely stunted. They are at risk of dying. Their weights, ages, and heights are not even on the growth chart. We are forced to give them artificial milk. It was the nuns who took care of this kind of situation. The State must take responsibility, because there are many nutritional and civil status problems. It must know that these children are the future of the country," says the midwife, who is also head of the Marie Cécile Diam Center for Recovery and Nutritional Education (CREN) for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), in a heartfelt plea.

However, she reassures that we can recover them little by little, provided that they are supervised, that the inputs are there "so that we give them milk normally."

The triplets are being treated at the center, but Marie Cécile Diam says she's concerned about the follow-up. "That's the problem, because the mother is very young and doesn't know anything about it."

Like many children affected by malnutrition, Serigne Bara, Mouhamed and Saliou must survive and realize their potential.