Nutrition
Nourishing the Young
More than half of all children who die in the world today do so because of malnutrition and hunger. It is the number one health risk worldwide – greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Deprived of adequate nutrition, the consequences for very young children are deadly. Six million children under five die every year from malnutrition and hunger related diseases. That’s more than 16,000 children dying every single day. Lack of food is a key reason for malnutrition but it isn’t the only one. A diet limited to only a few foods, poor food quality, and inadequate care of young children all contribute to malnutrition.
Nutrition at an Early Age
Nutrition is most important in the first two years of a child’s life. Lack of good nutrition at this time slows a child’s physical and mental growth – the effects of which last a lifetime. Similarly, if a woman is undernourished during pregnancy, her child may be born underweight and suffer health problems. No amount of good nutrition when the child is older can make up for what was missed in those vital years.
B
y improving nutrition in children under five and women of child-bearing age, ChildFund aims to combat the worst effects of malnutrition. ChildFund promotes breast feeding to ensure young babies are well nourished and protected from infection. We educate mothers on what foods are best for growing toddlers, and encourage the vitamin-rich foods that people can grow locally. It’s often necessary for ChildFund to provide supplementary feeding and vitamin supplements. This supplementation is also vital for pregnant women to give their child the best possible start in life.
Update on Dorcas
When ChildFund met 3-year-old Dorcas last year in Kenya, she was suffering from third degree malnutrition, the most severe stage, and could neither stand nor walk.
Since Dorcas began participating in our emergency response feeding program, her malnutrition has decreased to second degree, and she can now walk. Recovery from malnutrition takes a long time, so she will need our help for a long while yet. On most days, you’ll see Dorcas in the company of other children at the Kandebene Early Childhood Centre, where children receive a high-protein porridge made from soy, maize, millet, wheat and water, provided by ChildFund.
ChildFund assists her family by providing food rations of beans, maize, skimmed milk and locally prepared corn-soya blend flour for Dorcas and her younger sister Angelina on a monthly basis. As well as food, clothing and parental guidance ChildFund is also helping the family to look at an alternative livelihood, instead of solely relying on crop production and raising animals in the harsh environment. By working with Dorcas and her family, ChildFund through child sponsorship and your support is making a real long term difference to this child in need.
