Subscribe
Daily DispatchDaily Dispatch
Subscribe

These heroes are nourishing Soweto’s children one drop at a time

Two Joburg doctors have formed an organisation to address malnutrition, but lockdown hinders their efforts

4 min read
Doctor Lesego Ndhlovu at an outreach event in Soweto where she and other health-care professional screen children to identify malnutrition.
Doctor Lesego Ndhlovu at an outreach event in Soweto where she and other health-care professional screen children to identify malnutrition. Doctor Lesego Ndhlovu at an outreach event in Soweto where she and other health-care professional screen children to identify malnutrition. Picture: SUPPLIED

Disturbed by the number of malnourished children coming into their hospitals, two paediatricians decided to find youngsters before they needed hospitalisation.

In 2017, doctors Lesego Ndhlovu and Keketso Mopeli were working at Johannesburg’s Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. With a common passion for helping children, the two became friends and soon realised they shared another commonality: their concern about the number of children they were treating who were malnourished.

Having worked at hospitals in Johannesburg and the North West, they had come across many cases in children under the age of five.

“In Klerksdorp, I saw a lot of malnourished children. It was becoming a grinding issue. I started doing research into what was leading to children becoming malnourished.

“I found that food insecurity and incorrect perceptions were some of the causes. It kept bugging me. I saw it again when I got to Bara. I asked myself, should we be seeing this number of malnourished children when parents are getting grants?” Mopeli said.

Doctors Keketso Mopeli and Lesego Ndhlovu founded Marothuli, the non-profit organisation aimed at addressing malnutrition in vulnerable communities.
Doctors Keketso Mopeli and Lesego Ndhlovu founded Marothuli, the non-profit organisation aimed at addressing malnutrition in vulnerable communities. Doctors Keketso Mopeli and Lesego Ndhlovu founded Marothuli, the non-profit organisation aimed at addressing malnutrition in vulnerable communities. Picture: SUPPLIED

The duo launched Marotholi Outreach, a non-profit organisation aimed at addressing the high incidence of malnutrition in vulnerable communities. Soon other doctors and young professionals volunteered to help and they began their first outreaches in Motsoaledi, an informal settlement in Soweto.

Every six weeks, the group visits the community. where the day begins with a health talk with parents and caregivers. This is followed by screening, during which children are weighed and measured. The results are interpreted according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Growth Standards charts. Children with acute malnutrition are then seen on site by dietitians for nutritional rehabilitation. Caregivers then receive further nutritional education. Children who are in danger or acutely ill are referred to the local clinic for further assessment and management.

Marothuli volunteers paint children's faces.
Marothuli volunteers paint children's faces. Marothuli volunteers paint children's faces. Picture: SUPPLIED

“The idea to do it in Soweto was because we were working there and we know that at Bara we were seeing more malnourished children than in the other hospitals, probably because of the socio-economics of Soweto vs town. The idea is to reach kids before their third birthday to reverse whatever nutritional insult has happened and to prevent stunting and begin cognitive repair,” Ndhlovu said.

Their aim is to identify at-risk children before they become severely malnourished and end up in hospital. There is also face-painting and music to create some fun for the children and they’re given sandwiches and milk.  

Since starting their outreach programme, Mopeli said while they weren’t necessarily seeing children who were severely malnourished, they were seeing children who presented with “chronic malnourishment”, meaning they were getting food but that the quality may not be adequate.

Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile doing a screening.
Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile doing a screening. Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile doing a screening. Picture: SUPPLIED

They’ve screened nearly 200 children in Motsoaledi and have found a malnutrition prevalence of nearly 20%. Ndhlovu said it was devastating to see children with severe malnutrition. They were often swollen, had thin brown hair and looked tired.

Dr Sam Arnold, foreground, and Dr Rob Cloete screen a child at a Marothuli outreach event.
Dr Sam Arnold, foreground, and Dr Rob Cloete screen a child at a Marothuli outreach event. Dr Sam Arnold, foreground, and Dr Rob Cloete screen a child at a Marothuli outreach event. Picture: SUPPLIED

The young professions who have joined Mopeli and Ndhlovu are Chuene Maponya and Tiego Masemola. Also on the team is innovation and sustainability director Maloba Tshehla and chartered accountant Setebe Maponya.

The name Marothuli means “droplet” or “rain” in Sotho and for Mopeli and her team it’s a metaphor for what they want to be for children.

“We want children to thrive and grow. We see ourselves as these droplets of water that can nourish the community and children, and help them grow,” Mopeli said.

They have been funding each outreach event themselves and use the premises of an NGO in the community, Revelation 21 House, which used to run an after-school feeding scheme.

Relebohile Mopeli packs sandwiches.
Relebohile Mopeli packs sandwiches. Relebohile Mopeli packs sandwiches. Picture: SUPPLIED

Lockdown regulations and the Covid-19 pandemic have meant they can’t currently screen children, but they’ve identified 50 of the most at-risk youngsters, who have been giving food parcels.

Ndhlovu said it was beautiful to see a child who was once heading towards danger, make a turn and start growing normally. But her concern was with them not being able to track the children’s progress during the pandemic, which could undo their work.

“With the little we have we’ve only been able to give 50 children food parcels. These are the 50 kids we identified at our outreaches who were either malnourished or at risk of developing malnutrition  We can’t find these kids now, so we’re expecting to see even more malnourished children in months to come,” Ndhlovu said.