110 posts categorized "Maternal and Child Nutrition"

Sharmila Chaudhari feeds her daughter Sanjana, 19 months, at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Dhangadhi, Nepal, on Sunday, April 29, 2012. This Nutrition Rehabilitation Home in the western part of the country is run by an NGO in Nepal called the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre (RUWDUC). Children eat meals and snacks at 7 a.m., 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m., and they drink milk at 10 p.m., 1 a.m., and 4 a.m.

Forty-one percent of Nepali children under age 5 are short for their age (stunted), according to the preliminary 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Stunting is an indicator of malnutrition, so ensuring children are properly nourished in the 1,000 days between pregnancy and age 2 is vital to a child’s development.

Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

What would we do without our moms to comfort us, guide us and love us? Here's to all mothers around the world -- including mine. Happy Mother's Day!

Photo 1 - Mother and child in Haiti: A mother and child sit in a meeting with Fonkoze, a micro-finance institution in Debriga, Haiti. Mothers brought their children to receive Vitamin A capsules on Wednesday, October 13, 2010. Nicole Cesar Muller led the discussion and gave the babies the vitamins, which were donated by Vitamin Angels. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Photo 2 - Alli and André: Alli Morris, from Bend, OR, depends on SNAP, WIC, and other domestic feeding programs to care for her son André, who lives with a serious medical condition that affects his hormonal system. Photo by Brad Horn

Photo 3 - Neelum and Shuvam: Neelum Chand carries her son, Shuvam, 1, through the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Dhangadhi, Nepal, after lunch on Sunday, April 29, 2012. The NRH, a project of the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre, a Nepali NGO, works to restore malnourished children to health. Forty-one percent of Nepali children under age 5 are short for their age (stunted), according to the preliminary 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, and stunting is an indicator of malnutrition. Ensuring children are properly nourished in the 1,000 days between pregnancy and age 2 is vital to a child's development. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Photo 4 - Guatemalan mother and daughter. Photo by Margaret W. Nea.

Photo 5 - Tohomina and Adia: Tohomina Akter bathes her daughter Adia, 17 months, at the neighborhood well in Char Baria village, Barisal, Bangladesh, on Thursday, April 19, 2012. Tohomina participates in a maternal and infant nutrition program called Nobo Jibon run in part by Hellen Keller International. The program stresses proper nutrition in the 1,000 days between pregnancy to age 2, with an emphasis on breastfeeding and cultivating home gardens. The goal is to encourage social and behavior change and prevent stunting in children. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

Photo 6 - Sharmila and Sanjana: Sharmila Chaudhari feeds her daughter Sanjana, 19 months, at the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home in Dhangadhi, Nepal, on Sunday, April 29, 2012. This Nutrition Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in the western part of the country is run by an NGO in Nepal called the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre (RUWDUC). Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World.

Photo 7 - Janaki and Binti: Janaki Rana, 20, poses with her daughter, Binti Rana, 2, in Dhangadhi, Nepal, on Sunday, April 29, 2012. Janaki and Binti were once residents at the NRH in Dhangadhi, which is run by RUWDUC. Children and their mothers receive three follow-up visits after they leave the NRH. Photo by Molly Marsh/Bread for the World

Photo 8 - Mother and daughter in the United States: A mother and daughter enjoy a block party in Washington, DC. Photo by Crista Friedli/Bread for the World.

Photo 9 - Catherine and Laura: Laura Elizabeth Pohl, Bread's multimedia manager, at church with her mom, Catherine, in Newport News, VA. Photo courtesy of Laura Elizabeth Pohl.

Laura Elizabeth Pohl is multimedia manager at Bread for the World. You can follow her on Twitter at @lauraepohl.

In the last year, Bread for the World has partnered with many denominational women’s organizations in the 1,000 Days movement, aimed at improving nutrition for women and children in the 1,000 days between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday. In honor of mother’s day, Church Women United and Bread for the World are co-sponsoring a webinar to teach women (or anyone, really) about the 1,000 Conversations initiative, in which individuals and groups are pledging to have 1,000 conversations in 1,000 days about maternal and child nutrition. (Join our Women of Faith for 1,000 Days Facebook page.)

Improving nutrition in the 1,000-day period between pregnancy and a child’s second birthday is a unique opportunity to shape a healthier, more prosperous future for children. Proper nutrition during this time has a profound and lasting impact on a child’s growth, learning, and eventual economic productivity. Mitigating or overcoming malnutrition in young girls can “break the cycle” so that they enjoy better health and grow into women who have healthier babies.

The webinar will share more information about nutrition, background information on the movement, and how to have conversations with your friends, family, church, and your Senators and Congresspersons. We hope that you will join the webinar on Thursday, May 10 at 7 p.m. (EST) and invite the mothers in your life to join. Register here and we will send you information about how to log in.

Nancy Neal is associate for denominational women's organization relations at Bread for the World.

Photo caption: A Zambian mother and daughter. Photo by Margaret W. Nea.

"If we’re being honest about the millions of Americans who are hurting in our economy and just trying to put food on the table, then there is no question, funding for SNAP needs to be preserved."

-Rep. Jackie Speier,  D-CA

Photo caption: Mother and daughter enjoy a block party in Washington, DC. Photo by Crista Friedli/Bread for the World.

A Liberian girl sits on her mother's lap during church. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl.

As a 21-year-old woman in the United States, I have many opportunities to share my opinions, ideas, and thoughts.  Sadly, many women and girls live in countries where they are not allowed to speak their minds -- places where their freedom of speech is repressed. However, organizations such as the G(irls) 20 Summit are working to change this as they invite young women, ages 18 to 20, from around the world to voice their opinions as they gather to freely discuss issues relevant to them and their countries. 

A delegate from each of the G-20 countries and the African Union are selected to participate in the event. At the G-20 Summit, the leaders of powerful countries discuss global economics and the policies that govern them. The girls invited to attend the G(irls) 20 Summit will have a similar agenda. The delegates discuss innovative ideas that will help empower girls and women globally. While the agenda is the same for the G20 Summit and focuses on economic advancement, all of the participants are girls. What an amazing opportunity for these young women! It is such a wonderful chance for them to make a difference despite their youth, race, or gender.

As an intern at Bread for the World, I see first-hand the importance of economic stability in order to break the shackles of hunger and poverty.  As a woman, I also understand how a society’s treatment of women can affect its economy. When women are respected and educated, poverty decreases.  As Elizabeth Gibbons said in a speech several years ago, “Education for girls is the key to the health and nutrition of  populations; to overall improvements in the standard of living;  to better agricultural and environmental practices; to higher Gross National Product; and to greater involvement and gender balance in decision-making at all levels of society.”  Although great strides are being made around the globe to provide equal opportunity for women, there is more work be done.

Bread for the World is proud to partner with the G(irls) 20 Summit this year. One of the issues the young women will be discussing is food security. Nearly 1 billion people in the world don’t get enough to eat and many of them are women and children. Food insecurity is also very closely linked to malnutrition, which is a key issue for Bread for the World. Children, especially those younger than 2, are at special risk of hunger and malnutrition. The 1,000 days from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday are the most crucial for a child’s development. But many women around the world don’t have access to proper nutrition for themselves or their children. Without proper nutrition during this critical period, children can suffer permanent cognitive and physical delays.

Even though I won’t be attending the G(irls) 20 Summit, I’m still planning to support people intent on changing the world, one girl at a time.           

Jael Kimball is media relations intern at Bread for the World.

Neelum Chand carries her son, Shuvam, 1, through the Nutrition Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Dhangadhi, Nepal, after lunch on Sunday, April 29, 2012. The NRH, a project of the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre, a Nepali NGO, works to restore malnourished children to health. Forty-one percent of Nepali children under age 5 are short for their age (stunted), according to the preliminary 2011 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Stunting is an indicator of malnutrition, and ensuring children are properly nourished in the 1,000 days between pregnancy and age 2 are vital to a child's development. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World

The circle of protection isn’t just a symbol for retired Pastor Jim Anderson; it is a promise to a friend who is an HIV positive AIDS orphan living a continent away. Now, the circle of protection is my promise too.

Earlier this year, Christians in Portland, OR, braved a rainy day to show support for the circle of protection.  Pastor Anderson carried a sign that had a circle around a picture of a young boy from Tanzania named Eliya. 

The day before Portland's Offering of Letters workshop, I received an email from Jim. He said he was extremely jet lagged, having just returned from Tanzania, but he would like a minute to address our members.

Jim told us the story of Eliya.  Globally funded anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines and nutritious supplements such as plumpy nut have saved Eliya’s life.  He told us about the compassionate care-givers in a Catholic-run program helping children like Eliya.  From them he learned that his own tax dollars helped provide global funds keeping these children alive and flourishing.  He also learned that potential cuts were very worrisome for the care givers who saw the lives that were daily affected.  In his blog post, Jim writes,

“I was thrilled to be able to assure Father Vincent that he did not battle alone. In America there are battalions of caring people who write letters to their senators and representatives, urging that they work to maintain a circle of protection around programs that make up the U.S. contribution to poverty-focused development assistance, including the Global Fund, PEPFAR, and other programs aimed at reduction of disease, malnutrition, and poverty.”

The Senate Agriculture Committee considers amendments this week on food aid in the Farm Bill.   Now Eliya is in my circle thanks to Pastor Jim, and I will be advocating for a circle of protection around lifesaving food aid.  If you have a member of Congress on the Committee, your voice is particularly important, so please take three minutes to call your member for Elyia or another picture and another story in your circle.

Call your member of Congress at 1-800-326-4941, or click here to send them a quick email.

Robin Stephenson is a regional organizer at Bread for the World.

Photo caption: Eliya (left) and Rev. Jim Anderson (right) sit together in Dodoma, Tanzania.

+Learn more about our mini-campaign on international food aid programs!

Tohomina Akter washes pots and dishes in a pond near her home on the morning of Thursday, April 19, 2012, in Char Baria village, Barisal, in southern Bangladesh. Tohomina participates in a maternal and infant nutrition program called Nobo Jibon administered by Helen Keller International. The program stresses proper nutrition in young children.

Photographs by Laura Elizabeth Pohl / Text by Molly Marsh

BARISAL, BANGLADESH---The afternoon hours are Tohomino Akter’s favorite time of day. That’s when she can take a break from her household tasks, rest, and play with her 17-month-old daughter, Adia. Like any toddler, Adia much prefers movement.

Adia runs through the four rooms of their home, her pink sundress and plastic pink shoes contrasting against the gray tin walls. First is her parent’s bedroom, then the room where her father’s parents and brothers sleep. Then a small room that contains clothes and dishes, and finally the kitchen, a skinny corridor that opens to the outside on one end, where her mother prepares their food over a fire.

Adia stops suddenly at the front steps, looking out at the familiar faces of Char Baria, a village in the Barisal district of Bangladesh. In front of her lies Tohomino’s garden, a 25-foot square of spinach, amaranth, chili, and pepper plants, an important source of nutrients for Adia and her family. Spinach and red amarinthe are Adia’s favorites.

Tohomino planted the garden after receiving training in “Nobo Jibon,” a program administered by Helen Keller International, a nongovernmental organization that works in several Bangladesh districts. The vegetables she harvests have increased the nutrients available to her family, especially her daughter. What’s more, the extra money the family earns selling the surplus vegetables goes toward buying additional food for Adia.

In the program, Tohomino learned why a diverse, healthy diet is important, and also about the importance of breast-feeding her daughter. Tohomino attended classes for almost two months, hearing from health workers the benefits of giving Adia only breast milk during her first six months of life.

Tohomino has stuck to that schedule, introducing supplementary foods only after the initial six-month period, and she’ll continue to breast-feed Adia until she is 2.

“I did not do many things [before taking the class],” Tohomino said through a translator. “But after learning, I am keeping things clean and hygienic to prevent diseases, and cooking nutritious foods to keep me and my family healthy.”

Tohomina Akter grows amaranth, spinach, peppers and other vegetables in her garden. The vegetables are enough to feed her family and have enough left over to sell in the local market.

The neighborhood well is a 30-second walk from Tohomina Akter's home. Here she rinses vegetables with the help of Khaleda Begum (right).

Tohomina Akter prepares spinach and borboti, a long bean, in her family's kitchen as her 17-month-old daughter Adia attempts to help her.

Dry leaves fuel the fire in Tohomina Akter's kitchen.

Tohomina Akter feeds her 17-month-old daughter Adia. The nutrition programTohomina participates in stresses exclusive breast-feeding until six months and breast-feeding plus supplementary feeding from six months until 24 months.

Neighbors stop by Tohomina Akter's kitchen to talk.

Adia, 17 months, is reluctant to be washed by her mother.

Tohomina Akter cleans herself at the neighborhood well.

After washing herself and her daughter, Tohomina Akter attempts to dress a squirming daughter Adia, 17 months.

Molly Marsh is managing editor and Laura Elizabeth Pohl is multimedia manager at Bread for the World. You can follow Laura on Twitter at @lauraepohl.

When you think of food aid you likely think of Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia, not South Korea, Brazil and Germany. But the latter are all countries that once benefitted from U.S. international food aid programs and are now thriving economies.

Food aid works. These programs make up less than 1% of the U.S. federal budget and help millions around the world.

Watch the video below to learn more about these programs and how they help people from going hungry.

Laura Elizabeth Pohl is multimedia manager at Bread for the World. You can follow her on Twitter at @lauraepohl.

Photo caption: Somali woman and a malnourished child exit from the medical tent after the child receives emergency medical treatment from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), an active regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations. Somalia is the country worst affected by a severe drought that has ravaged large swaths of the Horn of Africa, leaving an estimated 11 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. UN Photo/Stuart Price

+Learn more about our mini-campaign on international food aid programs!

Photo by Flickr user nicolasnova

Next week, the House and the Senate will decide on funding levels for critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs for fiscal year (FY) 2013. Sens. Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk sit on the committee that will make these decisions.

Please call today and tell them to:

• Protect poverty-focused foreign assistance by supporting the highest level of funding for the FY 2013 State and Foreign Operations bill, and
• Protect international food aid and domestic nutrition programs by supporting the highest level of funding for the FY 2013 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

The overall funding for these bills must be as high as possible.

• Poverty-focused foreign assistance programs comprise less than 1 percent of the federal budget, but they help people in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty.
• The Food for Peace Program and the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program, funded in the agriculture bill, are vital to alleviating global malnutrition and hunger. In one year, as many as 46.5 million people—including 5 million children—received their only daily meal through these programs.
• The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), also funded by the agriculture bill, currently provides food to nearly 9 million low-income women, infants, and children up to age 5.

The pressure to cut these programs will be immense. We need your voice.

Call Sens. Durbin and Kirk, using this toll-free number: 1-800-326-4941. Tell them to protect poverty-focused foreign assistance, international food aid, and WIC by supporting the highest levels of funding for the FY 2013 State and Foreign Operations bill and the FY 2013 Agriculture Appropriations bill. Thank you.

David Beckmann is president of Bread for the World.