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TIBAR, 25 February 2011 (IRIN) - For the past eight years, the same three have topped a UN ranking of the countries with the highest percentage of chronically malnourished children: Afghanistan (59 percent), Yemen (58 percent), and the Southeast Asian half-island nation bordering Indonesia, Timor-Leste (54 percent).
The figures have changed little over the past decade, according to the latest State of the World's Children report issued by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"Chronic malnutrition [stunting] is an inter-generational problem that does not have quick fixes, meaning it cannot change within a few years... Stunting is a slow burning crisis that evolves over time," said Monjur Hossain, UNICEF's head of health and nutrition in Timor-Leste.
While there are "quick fixes with low hanging fruits like immunization, oral rehydration solution [ORS] and Vitamin A supplementation" that can reduce child mortality, these do not address the perennial challenge of improving nutrition, Hossain added.
Silent epidemic
Julieta Soares, 26, a Timorese mother of six, said her family ate what they could grow or afford in the fishing village of Tibar, 5km outside the capital, Dili. "We never think about our food each day. The important thing for us is to find something that can fill our stomachs, whether it is rice, cassava, corn, or bananas."
Her family's diet rarely contains meat, eggs or dairy products, because of the cost, but her priority is to avoid hunger: "Just as long as we do not starve."
Only 5 percent of 4,691 mothers questioned in a 2009-2010 government survey reported drinking milk the day before the interview. Lucinda Baptista, 39, a mother of six, said milk was unaffordable, while Soares said: "Milk is a rare item for us."
When asked if she had ever heard of malnutrition, Baptista replied: "I do not know this word or its meaning and have never received information about it."
While a government nutrition strategy has been in place since 2004, only in 2008 did the country develop nutrition interventions, including monthly community malnutrition screenings and door-to-door community outreach by nutrition workers.
Neither mother had taken their children recently to "puskemas" community health centres.
"To be thin and small is perceived to be the norm; it [chronic malnutrition] is not perceived as a problem... We are talking about an inter-generational chronic and silent epidemic of malnutrition [stunting] as well as [a 2009-2010 national average of] 18.6 percent acute malnutrition [wasting]," said nutrition officer Hossain.
Lack of life-saving micronutrients is the top cause of preventable mental disability, and chronic malnutrition - most commonly measured by a child's height in relation to age - increases the risk of premature death and irreversible mental and physical disability, according to the World Health Organization.
Food variety
In a 2009-2010 survey conducted by World Vision, only 4 percent of surveyed households in Alieu district bordering Dili regularly consumed a variety of food that included protein, dairy, vegetables and fruit, breads and cereals as well as fat and sugar.
In the western border district of Bobonaro, 18.8 percent managed to consume as many food groups, but another 66 percent of the population reported difficulties obtaining any food in the previous 30 days.
This district also had the country's highest rate of stunting, 73 percent, according to the government's 2009-2010 Demographic and Health Survey.
Neighbouring Ermera district reported 68 percent stunting and 20 percent acutely malnourished children (underweight for their height), which can be explained by the district's lack of access to food and residents' beliefs, said Hossain.
"There are some food taboos, [such as] they don't prefer to eat nutritious foods like eggs and [have] a low intake of food during pregnancy [for fear of dying in childbirth due to large babies]."
Interventions
Local NGO Alola Foundation has established volunteer mother support groups in at least nine of 13 districts nationwide to promote exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months of a baby's life.
The Health Ministry, international NGO Helen Keller International and UNICEF are introducing micronutrient powder supplementation for children younger than two in Alieu district, with plans for a nationwide roll-out based on results in Alieu.
The Health Ministry offers community-based treatments for acute malnutrition in all 13 districts, including social mobilization, out-patient management, supplementary feedings and in-patient care.
The Health Ministry conducts monthly nutrition screenings at designated sites.
But any interventions will take time to bear results, said Hossain. "[This] can require up to a generation, such as improving adolescents' and women's nutrition in order to improve her baby's chances of not being stunted."
pt/ndc/mw
.
TIBAR, 25 February 2011 (IRIN) - For the past eight years, the same three have topped a UN ranking of the countries with the highest percentage of chronically malnourished children: Afghanistan (59 percent), Yemen (58 percent), and the Southeast Asian half-island nation bordering Indonesia, Timor-Leste (54 percent).
The figures have changed little over the past decade, according to the latest State of the World's Children report issued by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
"Chronic malnutrition [stunting] is an inter-generational problem that does not have quick fixes, meaning it cannot change within a few years... Stunting is a slow burning crisis that evolves over time," said Monjur Hossain, UNICEF's head of health and nutrition in Timor-Leste.
While there are "quick fixes with low hanging fruits like immunization, oral rehydration solution [ORS] and Vitamin A supplementation" that can reduce child mortality, these do not address the perennial challenge of improving nutrition, Hossain added.
Silent epidemic
Julieta Soares, 26, a Timorese mother of six, said her family ate what they could grow or afford in the fishing village of Tibar, 5km outside the capital, Dili. "We never think about our food each day. The important thing for us is to find something that can fill our stomachs, whether it is rice, cassava, corn, or bananas."
Her family's diet rarely contains meat, eggs or dairy products, because of the cost, but her priority is to avoid hunger: "Just as long as we do not starve."
Only 5 percent of 4,691 mothers questioned in a 2009-2010 government survey reported drinking milk the day before the interview. Lucinda Baptista, 39, a mother of six, said milk was unaffordable, while Soares said: "Milk is a rare item for us."
When asked if she had ever heard of malnutrition, Baptista replied: "I do not know this word or its meaning and have never received information about it."
While a government nutrition strategy has been in place since 2004, only in 2008 did the country develop nutrition interventions, including monthly community malnutrition screenings and door-to-door community outreach by nutrition workers.
Neither mother had taken their children recently to "puskemas" community health centres.
"To be thin and small is perceived to be the norm; it [chronic malnutrition] is not perceived as a problem... We are talking about an inter-generational chronic and silent epidemic of malnutrition [stunting] as well as [a 2009-2010 national average of] 18.6 percent acute malnutrition [wasting]," said nutrition officer Hossain.
Lack of life-saving micronutrients is the top cause of preventable mental disability, and chronic malnutrition - most commonly measured by a child's height in relation to age - increases the risk of premature death and irreversible mental and physical disability, according to the World Health Organization.
Food variety
In a 2009-2010 survey conducted by World Vision, only 4 percent of surveyed households in Alieu district bordering Dili regularly consumed a variety of food that included protein, dairy, vegetables and fruit, breads and cereals as well as fat and sugar.
In the western border district of Bobonaro, 18.8 percent managed to consume as many food groups, but another 66 percent of the population reported difficulties obtaining any food in the previous 30 days.
This district also had the country's highest rate of stunting, 73 percent, according to the government's 2009-2010 Demographic and Health Survey.
Neighbouring Ermera district reported 68 percent stunting and 20 percent acutely malnourished children (underweight for their height), which can be explained by the district's lack of access to food and residents' beliefs, said Hossain.
"There are some food taboos, [such as] they don't prefer to eat nutritious foods like eggs and [have] a low intake of food during pregnancy [for fear of dying in childbirth due to large babies]."
Interventions
Local NGO Alola Foundation has established volunteer mother support groups in at least nine of 13 districts nationwide to promote exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months of a baby's life.
The Health Ministry, international NGO Helen Keller International and UNICEF are introducing micronutrient powder supplementation for children younger than two in Alieu district, with plans for a nationwide roll-out based on results in Alieu.
The Health Ministry offers community-based treatments for acute malnutrition in all 13 districts, including social mobilization, out-patient management, supplementary feedings and in-patient care.
The Health Ministry conducts monthly nutrition screenings at designated sites.
But any interventions will take time to bear results, said Hossain. "[This] can require up to a generation, such as improving adolescents' and women's nutrition in order to improve her baby's chances of not being stunted."
pt/ndc/mw
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5 comentários:
Caros Timorenses,
A má nutrição assim como a corrupção não se resolvem com receitas mágicas implementadas por Malais ou Deus, tem que vir do próprio povo Timorense e só se consegue reduzir com Educação, Educação e Educação.
Enquanto Bufalos, Vacas, Cabras, Porcos e Galinhas circularem livremente por todo o TL, não será possível fazer hortas de modo a que as mães possam cultivar vegetais para darem de comer aos seus filhos.
Esses animais circulam livremente por todos o território, para depois serem utilizados nos estilos, casamentos e funerais, enfim nos rituais vaidosos do povo Timorense.
Enquanto essas tradições não forem alteradas, a má nutrição vai continuar a ser crónica em Timor e garanto que podem vir Malaes, Jesus Cristo que não conseguiram resolver o problema. Esse problema só será resolvido pelos próprios Timorenses, quando quizerem ter um país melhor, onde todos possam viver em paz e harmonia.
Beijinhos da Querida Lucrécia
I weep my tears for those timorese people that can't have access for enough nutritious foods. This is not fair. The country can and have financial capability to feed all these people. The problem is incompetence by government to manage the money available for that purpose.
If I were a Prime Minister of Timor Leste, this is what I would do:
» Contract 100 best agriculture experts and trainers from around the world to give intensive mid and long term training for all timorese farmers about modern ways of farming, production and animal creation and feeding.
» Then I would spend a hundred million dollar from a special fund, just call it long term plan to eradicate malnutrition off Timor Leste. I would make available the money to have a strategic capital. That capital would be: thousand of cows, hundred thousand of chicken, turkeys, goat, pork and lambs. I would then instruct the Ministry of Agriculture to ask those farmers that have passed their training on modern agriculture to set up some groups of corporate to manage 'the capital' provided by my government. They would be given 'capital' as incentive if they perform well or it would be considered a credit with low interest rate if their performance after certain amount of time is less satisfactory. The goal from these two policies is two create competition resulting in quality from their work. The end products would be surplus of meats, eggs, and milk. In short more protein to timorese population.
In long term with continuous surplus in agriculture and farming produce and well educated farmers, we can eradicate malnutrition from Timor Leste and have healthy population and strong productive nation. This is my dream for collective goal and well being of timorese people.
It's disgusting to steal state money (corruptions) while so many timorese people live in misery, poverty and malnutrition. A great timorese business men will fight for creation of wealth and provide more employment for each timorese family through productive sector such as farming. Forget about construction sector for a while. Let's start with food production in small scale to industrial one.
A proper well feed timorese people will be a productive workers and consequently lead to more wealth to business and nation.
Imagine!
GLORIOSO
This is a stupid and ignorant proposal from a stupid and under-informed person.
Well, you can be the PM of Timor-Leste, but just don't bark from a distance.
Come to Timor and run yourself in the next election and introduce these stupid policies.
Anyway, the PM just dont have time to read NONSENSE suggestions.
Imagine
Did I read somewhere saying that the economy of this country gorws year on year? Well, the percentage that the government is floating and beating its chest about is 12,5% every year.
If we are to believe in what the government is saying, the overall growth of the country's economy is 27% within the last three years.
However, what the government is not telling us is that how much of the this growth have changed East-Timorese lives. From this and other reports, we can see clearly that people have not benefitted at all. It doesn't take three years to feed its own people; it doesn't take three years to create jobs etc. It seems that the government is more worried about meeting the demands of international donors, by producing imaginary statistics than meeting the real needs of its own people.
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