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A thin, white, slightly stooped American man in his late sixties walked into the tent. He wore an untucked, blue short-sleeved shirt with a bulging chest pocket. He glanced around and then asked: “Can someone get me a cup of water?” His voice was crisp, his words clipped. After someone handed him the water, he reached into his stuffed chest pocket and pulled out a plastic packet. He then produced a spoon. He tore open the packet, spilled its powdery contents into the cup of water and stirred it. The solution he had made was a mix of salts and sugars that can quickly halt the deadly effects of severe dehydration. He walked over to the mother and baby and cupped the child’s head in one of his hands. He set the cup down and began to spoon the solution into the baby’s mouth. The mother’s eyes widened.
“Everything is all right,” he told her gently, as he fed the baby. “He will live. Your child will live.” A man standing nearby translated the words. After about 10 minutes, he stopped. He said aloud: “I want the same thing done for all the children here.” Then he left.