Angel Covers is a global development organization strengthening healthcare and education in rural communities where children are vulnerable to malnutrition, trafficking, and disease to ensure every child’s life is full of health and opportunity.
We operate a clinic in rural Kenya that provides essential health services to people with extremely limited access to healthcare. Our work saves the lives of vulnerable newborns, infants, and mothers who often die from preventable causes due to lack of access to proper services.
Malnutrition is rampant in rural Kenya. There are different forms of malnutrition with severe acture malnutrition or SAM being the most concerning. Children who suffer from SAM need clinical treatment and therapeutic foods (fortified foods specifically designed to treat SAM). Left unrelated, SAM is often fatal and kills between one to two million children every year. Most of these children are in war zones or in rural sub-Saharan Africa.
Neonatal mortality (NNM) (deaths per live births within the first 28 days of life) remains a severe problem worldwide. Despite advancements in improving infant and under-five mortality, neonatal mortality has not seen the same improvements. Thousands of babies under 28 days die every day from preventable causes. According to UNICEF, most of these deaths occur in rural sub-Saharan Africa.
The highest burden of malaria is in sub-Saharan Africa, where about 90% of all malaria deaths occur, with children under five accounting for 78% of these deaths. That’s 1,300 children dying every day from the disease. It is painful to see a child die of malaria which is a preventable and treatable disease. Malaria becomes deadly when it is severe. Malaria can lead to renal failure, respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, coma, and death. If malaria is treated early it will not lead to these fatal conditions and the cost of treatment will be reduced.