Enteral Nutrition Initiative

The situation with enteral nutrition in Ukraine is turning critical.

Currently, our volunteers have formed a list of 50+ families with children ranging from 0 to 16 years old, who depend on enternal nutrition for life. Their nutritional requirements vary from 6 to 60 units of basic nutrition per month, along with specialized prescription nutrition. The expenses per family range from $70 to $1100 per month depending on age, weight, diagnosis and individual nutrition plan, which is almost impossible for an average family raising a rare disease kid in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, all the children have almost no alternatives to their nutrition needs. Most of them can only consume a particular type or taste of Nutricia or Nestle metabolics due to individual intolerances. Any changes to their nutrition plan could lead to significant weight loss, especially for older kids who are already significantly underweight: e.g., 11-12-year-olds weighing only 16-19 kg, which is normal for a child under 6!

Unfortunately, governmental support is limited in terms of both budget and variety of nutrition. Local charity organizations are also facing constraints due to a recent truck strike at the border, and significant decrease in humanitarian aid to Ukraine in general. Helping palliative children is at the bottom of everyone’s priority list. Last week, our Volunteer Coordinator Tetyana Gudyma reached out for 40 different organizations, but only one was able to provide a limited amount of only one type of nutrition.

Not all of the families are BfS applicants – the initiative is currently much broader and aims at uniting multiple organizations in search for solutions.

Overall, our united forces are in search of at least 2,000 units of nutrition at a total cost of $16,000. We call Nestle, Nutricia, and Humana to join the initiative and find ways to deliver this crucial aid to Ukraine! 

Reach us yo receive the list of required nutrition. Share our fundraiser, donate to our Medical Support Program and let’s hope our help is delivered in time.

Medical Support for Most Vulnerable Children with Rare Diseases from Ukraine