20/10/2026
Ethel's Story: A Mother's Relief Through Better Nutrition
In Chaponda village, Mambwe District, 12-year-old Ethel Phiri finds joy in music. Whenever a familiar tune plays, her mother, Sofia Njobvu, says Ethel shakes her head and smiles. These small moments bring happiness to Sofia, who cherishes seeing her daughter enjoy herself.
However, mealtimes have not always been as joyful.
Ethel lives with cerebral palsy, and according to Sofia, feeding her daughter has often been a challenge. Ethel had a poor appetite, refused many foods and sometimes vomited shortly after eating. Finding something she would accept was a daily concern for Sofia, who worried about whether her daughter was eating enough.
“It was very difficult to make sure she ate something because she refused many foods. That broke my heart as a mother,” Sofia recalled.
For Sofia, the challenge was not simply preparing meals; it was finding food her daughter would willingly eat. The experience left her searching for a practical way to make mealtimes easier.
An opportunity came when Sofia heard about Yumi Super Cereal, a fortified porridge from neighbours. She learned that Mr Edison and Madam Jane Banda, Community Health Entrepreneurs (CHEs) from Masumba Health Post, were selling the porridge within the community.
Through them, Sofia was able to access the product and decided to try it for Ethel. She found the preparation process easy.
“I only warmed some water, mixed it with the porridge, and served it to her,” Sofia explained.
What began as an attempt to find a food her daughter would accept soon became a source of relief for Sofia.
After introducing Yumi Super Cereal porridge into Ethel’s diet, Sofia reported noticing changes in her daughter’s appetite and activity levels. She said Ethel became more willing to eat and appeared stronger and more energetic.
According to Sofia, her daughter also reported an increase in weight, from 9 Kg before she began using the porridge to 10.1 Kg afterwards. These observations encouraged Sofia’s continuous use of the porridge as a Ethel’s primary caregiver.
Sofia further noted that other family members and neighbours also noticed changes in Ethel. One neighbour was also encouraged by the experience to begin purchasing the same porridge for her own family.
Beyond what she observed in her daughter, Sofia appreciated the convenience and affordability of the product. Preparing a meal took less time, making it easier to serve Ethel without the additional effort of preparing more complicated foods.
For Sofia, however, the greatest difference was the happiness she felt when her daughter ate willingly.
“As a mother, seeing Ethel eat makes me feel good and happy,” she said.
Sofia’s experience has strengthened her appreciation for having access to a food that Ethel enjoys and that she finds practical to prepare. She hopes other mothers can also find options that help make feeding their children less stressful.
She encouraged other mothers to consider Yumi Super Cereal porridge and called on Live Well to maintain its supply through Community Health Entrepreneurs.
“Live Well should not stop supplying this porridge, because our children love it and have become used to it,” she said.
For a mother, Ethel’s story is about more than a change in appetite or a number on the scale. It is also about the relief of seeing her daughter enjoy her meals and the happiness that comes with those everyday moments.
In Chaponda village, where Sofia continues to care for Ethel alongside her family, those moments matter. And through the local access provided by Community Health Entrepreneurs, Sofia hopes that other families can find practical food options that meet their needs and bring a little more ease to their daily lives.
Documented by our M&E,
Janet Jere
