Chonco village, Nicaragua

Irene and Antonio from Chonco village in Nicaragua are expecting their first child, a boy, next month. At 8 ½ months pregnant, Irene is glowing and clearly excited about starting a family. She tells us they plan to have three children. Irene has been receiving prenatal vitamins since early on in her pregnancy. The vitamins have made a difference in her health and she is feeling great. Antonio nods in agreement, saying Irene is doing well and things are progressing smoothly. Irene has been receiving regular prenatal care through our partners at Rainbow Network and plans to have the baby at the hospital.

And while the pregnancy and impending birth are cause for excitement, the couple does express concern about their current living conditions. Neither has any work at the moment. The young couple lives with Antonio’s mother; she also provides their meals. This, they admit, puts a bit of a strain on the mother who is single and working to support herself as well. Their house is simple, having only a dirt floor and a plastic roof. Irene tells us that when it rains, the water runs in at the seams, but that she will protect her baby from the cold and damp.

When asked what she hopes the future will bring for her family, Irene tells us she hopes they will be able to find work so they can have their own house (with a patio!).

Vitamin Angels is currently reaching 2,900 mothers with prenatal vitamins in Nicaragua, as well as 606,750 children under 5 and 270,000 mothers with vitamin A through our partners The Rainbow Network and Amigos for Christ. Learn more about our trip to Nicaragua >>

Our thanks to Sasha Veregin from Univera for capturing this story.