When Denis arrived at the malnutrition clinic as a young child, he was little more than hollow eyes and bloated belly – both signs of malnutrition. You could sense the fear on his mother’s face. For far too many, there are few expectations for a better life for children is such distress.

The clinic workers started with the basics – nutrient-rich meals, hydration, shelter. Over the course of several weeks, Denis became more alert as his strength returned. Looking at Denis at this feeble stage of his life, who had any idea he would go on to be a key member of the Mission Feeding program? But the five years’ worth of nutritional meals he received at school gave him the opportunity to look to his future and dream.

He completed his primary education and attended secondary school (the equivalent of high school in America). Today, Denis is a community nurse, helping with screenings and counseling for mothers and their malnourished children. In addition, he works with his community, teaching people better hygiene practices and how to plant more productive gardens. He loves seeing them learn and create better lives for themselves and their families.

Denis now cares for others with the same tenderness that once saved his life.

He knows the signs of hidden pain, the feeling of a stomach too empty for too long. When he speaks, his patients listen because he’s lived what they’re living.

The malnourished children he helps today have an opportunity to not only survive but go on to live hope-filled, fulfilling lives because of Mission Feeding, and the living testimony of Denis is proof of this!