Today, we’re celebrating with Somène, a mother who stopped by our Cap Haitien Family Center this week to pick-up her second Business Kit!

How did Somène get here? Who is the little one in her arms?

And what’s a “Business Kit?”

You’re about to find out!

But first, let’s give you a proper introduction.

Somène is 35 years old. She is a mother of 3 and she lives here in Cap Haitien, together with her entire family.

She is one of 280+ caregivers, who spent time at one of our Malnutrition Treatment Centers with a child in 2023.

Somène warmed to our team quickly. They describe her as “kind to everyone and and always smiling.”

But what stood out to our team the most was how close she was to her children.

Somène had all three of her children with her at the center: Her youngest, Ruth, who was being treated for Malnutrition, and her two big brothers, ages 2.5 and 6.

Ruth’s brothers weren’t alone in their “big-sibling” status.

About 10% of the children that spend time at our center are accompanied by one or two “healthy” siblings in addition to their mother, or another primary caregiver.

We know that not every caregiver has someone to look out for their other children while they focus on a single child and spend week nights at our center. So we welcome and encourage parents to bring these other children with them to Second Mile.

Often, the siblings even make a few new friends of their own.

So what about Baby Ruth, Somene’s daughter? How did she fair?

When Somène first arrived at Second Mile Haiti, her daughter was 9 months old and weighed just 7 lbs.

She was a tiny thing, with big eyes and skin the color of heavily-creamed coffee, made pale by anemia and other nutrient deficiencies.

When we met her she was one of the smallest 9-month-olds we’d ever seen.

Malnutrition is graded in severity by a few different indicators and one is the circumference of a child’s upper arm.

For a child under 5 years old, that measurement should be at least 13.5 cm (about the size of a gatorade cap). But Ruth’s was only 7.5 cm, smaller even than the small white cap of a plastic Coca Cola bottle.

Somène shared that Ruth had been sick repeatedly for the past 6 months and had endured two different hospitalizations for those illnesses.

The little one had seen a lot in a short amount of time.

She had a strong appetite. And shockingly! No underlying illnesses or infections to hamper her progress. She gained weight every day and made a miraculous and drastic recovery under her mother’s diligent care.

Amazing, right?

What’s often most impactful to us is not the child’s transformation, but the caregiver’s.

And in this photo, Somène is giving confidence, peace, and joy!

Somène was active in all of the classes and learning opportunities available to her at the center from art and sewing to gardening—and learned a lot about health and nutrition.

But her biggest take away was this.

“I feel happy because when I first arrived, I felt completely overwhelmed with stress. Now I’m going back with a lot of joy.”

Ruth has never been better! She’s continues to improve every week in her mom’s care.

Somène stays busy with her business which she launched a few weeks after leaving Second Mile. She sets up her business every morning in front of the rented home where her family has been living.

Ruth is never far away.

Somène has had success with her business so far. She’s been able able to put some money in savings and ensure that her family eats well, all while growing the business with new products.

She hopes to buy some land and build a house one day.

If her success at Second Mile Haiti in any indication, we have no doubt she’ll achieve that goal!