KRISHNANAGAR, Nepal — Genmati Kahar holds her daughter, Aarohi, close, feeding her formula she bought months ago from India. Just over 2 years old, Aarohi is trapped in a cycle of severe acute malnutrition. Several months ago, health workers measured her upper arm circumference at just 9.5 centimeters — far below safe limits. She cannot speak, walk, hold her head steady, or sit upright. Much of her day is spent crying.
Kahar’s grief is layered. Last October, as her municipality prepared to launch a new nutrition program, Aarohi’s twin sister, Ruhi, died at 17 months after a prolonged struggle with malnutrition. Her eldest daughter has graduated to moderate malnutrition, but Kahar is worried constantly that her health will worsen once more.
“I can never take my eyes off my children,” Kahar said. “It feels like I’m paying for the sins of my past life in this one.”