Stunting and wasting of Lao children
According to the World Food Program (WFP), half the children in rural Laos are chronically malnourished. Many of these children are from ethnic minorities and it is also a fact that policies of LAO PDR contribute to the problem.
A study released by the United Nations food agency in November 2007 estimated that 255,000 children were chronically malnourished. Laos has a population of 5.6 million people and only 27 percent live in urban areas. The survey found high rates of malnutrition among ethnic groups in upland areas in the north and in southern and central provinces.
These children are chronically malnourished during their first five years of life. They suffer “stunting” as a result which means they do not grow, either physically or mentally. If these children make it to adulthood, they will be small and not very smart. And then there’s the 10 percent classified as “wasting” - little children who are, essentially, starving to death. Over 10 years, the malnourishment statistics have changed little if at all.
In a “food insecurity” study, the WFP weighed and measured thousands of children all over Laos. The study concluded that malnourished children do badly at school and have low productivity in adulthood. Some will not make it to that stage. A little over 8 percent of all children born in Laos die before they reach age 5. The others “pass on poverty and deprivation to future generations.”
The main problem of these children is a lack of diversity in food. For many children, the sole component of their diet is rice and this is simply not enough. However, there is a good chance to save many thousands of these children. If families planted a small garden with vegetables, it could supply vegetables year round. That would help diversify a child’s diet. But in the poorest areas, fewer than half the households think to do that because eating only rice is a well-established custom.
More education is needed. Lack of information, not lack of resources is killing the future of many Lao kids. Perhaps not a happy feel-good message but you need to feel bad reading this. Action required. Do what you can.
A story about the WFP kicked up a little storm lately amongst the NGOers in Laos. Printed here http://www.bnd.com/285/story/460050.html
The government took the criticism personaly, understandable I guess the criticism was directed primarily at them. Some were arguing that it’s best to not ruffle feathers with a vital partner in bringing food to kids, others opined better to get a few upset and more fed.
I think the government will only solve this issue when it has become a problem to them. If they can keep it down and quiet, it won’t cause them any loss of face and they might continue to leave these kids to themselves. The solution might be so easy. That is frustrating.