Malnutrition is a serious medical condition caused by insufficient intake of nutrients (food) or by the inadequate use of these nutrients by the body. It is intimately linked to the social, cultural, economic and psychological circumstances of a given population.

This lack of food intake, or the inadequate use of nutrients by the body, leads to physiological changes that favor the onset of respiratory infections, diarrhea, eruptive diseases, etc., with increasing frequency and severity. This leads, paradoxically, to a loss of appetite, poor nutrient absorption, and metabolic alterations that can compromise, often irreversibly, the growth and mental development of children.

These consequences become evident during the elementary school years, when children encounter difficulties in language and other cognitive area, lowering academic success and promoting school drop out.

With such negative effects of malnutrition in the progress of a nation, it is evident that public and governmental policies to prevent malnutrition, particularly in children, would accrue numerous social, economic and cultural benefits.

Legally, Colombia does not consider malnutrition a medical condition, and therefore, treatment for malnutrition is not included in the mandatory general health plan. This poses a tremendous challenge because it severely limits the options for treatment. Usually, treatment for malnutrition occurs only when this condition occurs in combination with some other pathology that warrants hospitalization or that threatens the child’s life.

Given these limitations for the treatment of child malnutrition in Colombia, the Sweet Home offers nutritional recovery programs in different settings, e.g., outpatient or inpatient, depending on the initial diagnosis.

The average period of residence, during which the child lives fully at the Sweet Home, is 35 days. In addition to room and board, the child receives a professionally developed educational program. Once the child leaves, he/she continues to be monitored monthly.