Half of children in Nepal are malnourished -- why our work is so important!

Nepal

Nov 3

In Nepal, the multi-faceted consequences of malnutrition are readily apparent: 1.1 million children are stunted, 1.3 million suffer vitamin deficiencies, 290 thousand are severely underweight, and 36 thousand are overweight, an increase of 29 times as compared to four decades ago. Malnutrition also puts children at risk of poor development, lessened learning abilities, a weak immune system, increased infections, and death.

A recent report from UNICEF highlighted the many dangers of malnutrition and food scarcity on childhood development. In this report, UNICEF discussed Nepal as an example of these devastating effects, and the statistics serve as a good reminder of why what Mitrata does for our children is so vital to their health, development, and success: half of Nepali children are deprived of a balanced diet, including 43% under five who are malnourished and either stunted or overweight. Less than half of children between 6 months and 2 years old had were fed at least 5 different food groups, which UNICEF defines as a minimum in diet diversity, and more than a third weren’t fed fruits or vegetables.

A good deal of these children also did not regularly eat eggs, fish, or meat, which hits especially close to home for Mitrata because one of our main missions with the meals and snacks that we provide to our children is to get them protein-rich foods. In fact, we have now added a breakfast program, so that the children we serve now have the opportunity to enjoy two protein-rich meals and two nutritious snacks per day for six days out of the week.

Henrietta Fore, the UNICEF Executive Director, highlighted specifically in the report that the struggle for organizations has evolved from just making sure children are getting enough to eat to ensuring that they are eating the right food. Cheap, manufactured food is becoming more prevalent in low-income as well as high-income countries, and many of our children in the Baleju neighborhood we serve are from rural, isolated areas and do not have access to quality, healthy foods without Mitrata’s support.

The UNICEF report also highlighted many health indicators that Mitrata cannot influence or change directly. For example, breastfeeding, an important early-life health indicator, is not very prevalent, with only 66% of children under six months being breastfed. Natural disaster also plague Nepal and can cause severe food crises. Drought is a huge factor in agriculture loss and can drive up the prices of quality food out of the reach of at-risk families. Understanding the massive influence of these factors, however, serves to drive home Mitrata’s mission of a holistic approach to our children’s health and wellness, education, and empowerment. We have built a healthy food environment for our children, and we hope that educating and empowering them to lift themselves from extreme poverty and understand the importance of nutrition will create long-lasting change across current and future generations.