UNICEF WeShare -

https://weshare.unicef.org/archive/-2AMZIFJ6DQ0M.html

[RELEASE OBTAINED]

Liam Aaron Cóndor Anchaya, 1, photographed at the same health centre in which he was born in Yaurisque District, Paruro Province, Peru, 11 April 2019.

Liam Aaron Cóndor Anchaya was born on 28 January 2018 with a weight at birth of 2.9 kg at the health centre in Yaurisque District, Paruro Province, Peru. His mother, Verónica Anchaya Huamán, is a single mother while his father Alex Cóndor Tumpay is involved in Liam’s life. Verónica and Liam, her only child, live in the village of Comunidad Araycalla Ccochapata. Yaurisque, a district in Paruro Province, lies in the Cusco region and holds about 3,000 people — mainly indigenous citizens of Quechua descent.

During the last two years, UNICEF has been actively supported the strengthening of growth and development control at the national level, with Cusco as one of the regions on which it has focused. In addition to other interventions, the region, with UNICEF's help, has assisted in Early Childhood Development (ECD) to strengthen parent and mother–to–family capacities; has encouraged hospital or clinic births to prevent complications; and has helped institute more hygiene and hand-washing progress. "I’ve worked in this district since 1996... since UNICEF started working here," says Rene Alcira Berrio Huancahuire, a icensed nurse who visits Yaurisque daily from Cusco. "[In recent years] we’ve been able to visit communities and pay more attention to birth and development controls for the children... In the past, it was so difficult, the community wouldn’t let us in their homes. They would just close their doors and say they were busy. Now they let us in, and they even go to the clinic.”

One year after his birth, the UNICEF-Peru office checked on his progress. Verónica reports that he has been healthy. “He eats everything,” she says, and beyond breakfast — a porridge made from maize and potatoes — he has a rather varied diet. Liam's favourite foods are carrots, cheese, corn, peas, pumpkin soup, taro and milk. He eats quinoa rather than rice, on the advice of Verónica’s mother, due to the nutrients it provides. “I give him ferrous sulphate one time per day. I also make smoothies for him from carrots, beets, alfalfa sprouts," Verónica says. "Sometimes I also blend in the skin of a banana and crushed eggshells. My mom taught me how to do this.”

Verónica plans to stop breastfeeding Liam at age 18 months, in three months’ time. She would like to provide more animal proteins and fresh vegetables for him, but money is an issue— as is access to a good local food market. “I give him meat [with lunch] three times per week,” Verónica says. “Sometimes this is chicken liver, chicken or guinea pig meat. If you want to buy meat here, it’s difficult/ Our family raises guinea pigs for a meat source, and we also use the liver and the blood from the animal.”

In Yaurisque district, Peru, newborn mortality rates have improved significantly, from 38 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 8 per 1,000 in 2017. Despite these advances, challenges remain: chronic malnutrition, long distances to maternal health clinics and harsh living conditions continue to imperil newborns’ lives. A lack of running water, heating and mothers’ knowledge of common perinatal conditions, such as anaemia, haemorrhaging and preeclampsia, can prove lethal. Since the 1990s, UNICEF has been working with public health officials to develop national solutions to address these challenges. Thanks to such things as vertical birth, put in place by UNICEF, the number of women giving birth in a hospital in Yaurisque has increased dramatically, from 7 percent in 2000 to 98 percent in 2017. Additionally, newborn mortality rates have reduced.

While these numbers inspire hope and indicate that important advances have been made, at the regional level in Cusco, the newborn mortality rate at 12 per 1,000 live births remains above the national average of 10 per 1,000

Liam does not suffer from anaemia, which is endemic in Cusco. Thanks to nutrition trainings from a midwife, his mother improved her diet. And thanks to a scorecard introduced by UNICEF, she makes sure Liam continues to gain weight. “I thought I couldn’t have babies. I had heard from other mothers that so much could go wrong — he could get sick, and so on — so I became scared," Verónica says. "But then, when I had Liam, I felt so happy, and very emotional – it was like a dream come true. Thanks to this card, I know he is doing well... By charting his weight, I see that my baby is growing and is healthy. And because he’s my first, I have so much to learn. The card gives me the confidence to know that he is doing well.”

Liam’s birth was registered the day after he was born, and his mother retains copies of his identification, birth certificate and vaccine records. Liam’s father Alex visits every Sunday to see them and bring food for the household. Liam has many toys that Verónica has bought for him and is starting to play with other children. “He’s a nice boy, very tender and he shows his love for me,” she says. “He always wants me to be there helping him. If he’s playing with his building blocks, he always wants me to help him.”

Verónica plans to open a shop in Cusco at the end of the year, and though she faces many challenges — financial and otherwise — Verónica is dedicated to providing for Liam and to seeing that he receives the support and services that he needs, including a good education. Liam will have better opportunities for education than she had, including a school a short walk from their home, Verónica feels grateful for the options available for Liam that she didn’t have as a child — her parents struggled financially, and she wasn’t able to attend University — but also knows that the provision of, and access to, services is sometimes unequal and that others may not have the same opportunities.

View more with similar tones

2019

COUNTRIES:

Peru

Unique identifier:

UN0331243

Source name:

Anush Babajanyan VII Photo

Document Date:

April 11, 2019

Download document information

Download