ChildFund Australia health advisor Tracy Yuen says some traditional practices contribute to the problem.
“We are focusing on rural and remote areas where access to services and health education is particularly challenging,” she says.
“In these areas, over half of the children are stunted; a product of poverty, lack of health and nutrition knowledge, and culturally engrained food habits.
“A number of local food taboos mean that women often eat only sticky rice in late pregnancy and early post-partum.
“It’s a diet that starts depriving the developing foetus from necessary vitamins and minerals for growth even before birth. In some cases, mothers feed masticated sticky rice to newborns, in the tragic misbelief that it is better than breastmilk.”
When children begin eating solid foods, their diet lacks variety, according to Ounkeo.
“I tell parents that their children should eat six groups of food but most of the children do not get this variety,” Ounkeo says.
“They are only eating vegetables and they do not get enough calcium. They don’t drink enough milk, especially when they are very young.”
Tracy visited Laos recently and recognised a clear need to increase health and nutrition education in remote communities.
“Despite suffering incredibly high levels of stunting, Laos possesses very few nutrition experts – in fact, there are no tertiary level courses for people to even be trained,” she says.
ChildFund Laos nutrition projects are being implemented with the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) in two districts about 50km apart, covering over 20 villages.
“We are combating these habits by training local people to become health volunteers. We teach them how to monitor children’s growth, and to lead nutrition education sessions for mothers and children,” Tracy says.
“I was fortunate to join a growth monitoring event where our volunteers were able to practise their new skills after being trained in the classroom just days before.”
ChildFund’s generous supporters have also helped provide measuring boards and scales, hanging basket scales for weighing babies, health record books for each mother to keep, and educational materials and posters.
Parents of young children who are malnourished are encouraged to join support groups where they learn how to start home gardens and receive seeds.
Many parents use these seeds to grow vegetables that can feed their children, and sell surplus produce at markets so they can buy essentials like medicine and school materials.
“Healthy children are happier children,” Tracy says.
“They are able to go to school, play with their friends and achieve their full potential in life.”
