Childhood Malnutrition

Growth and Development Charts 

    

            The NGO COCOEDECON took us on a day trip to the town of Tonk, which is located in the Indian state of Rajasthan, on the eastern border of Pakistan. The approach to the village was a scenic drive, which involved winding dirt roads and a picturesque mountain landscape.   When we actually arrived at the village school, the scene, which greeted us could not have been more different.  We were warned, before we exited the bus, that talking to the swarm of children who encircled our vehicle would be a bad idea because they would expect gifts from us (especially food or money) and if we acknowledged them, then it would encourage the swarm to follow us. The professors singled me out for a specialized reminder because children are my most dangerous weakness.  It was hard to stare straight ahead, when we were ambushed with such innocent and deprived little ones.

            After dodging in between the masses of youngsters, we entered into the one room schoolhouse, where posters covered every square inch of space, some in English and some in Hindi.  The posters reminded children to have healthy eating and hygiene practices, in addition to listing the activities of the day.  The COCOEDECON guides posed our questions in Hindi to the villagers who gathered in the classroom to meet us. They showed us a chart where the teachers tracked the growth rates of the students and introduced us to the locals. At one point in the discussion they told us that they were going to bring in an example of a malnourished person.

            A slight-framed twenty-year old mother slid cautiously into the room, two children attached to her withering form like leeches. We were informed that the younger boy with tears in his eyes and an otherwise expressionless face was malnourished. At two years old he couldn’t walk. His older brother used to be malnourished, but now by the age of five, with the assistance of COCOEDECON, he was doing a lot better. I am constantly around children, whether it be at family gatherings (as the eldest cousin on both sides of the family) or in my constant babysitting. Usually, I can smile or make a face and get at least a glimmer of recognition if not a return smile from a child. The little malnourished boy looked right through me, like a ghost, incapable of emotion or normal human existence by virtue of the fact that he is not given access to proper nutrients, one of the most basic needs for any creature.

            A 1998-1999 World Bank study found that 51% of Rajasthan (the state in which this village was located) battles malnutrition. In 2000, it was found that 47% of Indian children are underweight.  However, despite these dismal findings, a steady positive change is occurring, according to a World Bank study, which drew data first in 1992 and then again in 1998. Over the course of these six years, the amount of children in India suffering from what is deemed as “mild undernourishment” has decreased from 76% to 73%.   The amount of Indian children classified as having “moderate undernourishment” has gone down from 53% to 47%. “Severe undernourishment cases” among Indian children has gone down from 22% to 18%.  While these may seem like small numerical leaps, every little change helps to counter the cycle of poverty and hunger. There is still a long way to go, but organizations like COCOEDECON help to better the overall situation. The threat of Neoliberalism has forced small farmers out of business, thus destroying valuable sources of sustenance for both their families and the surrounding communities. With a lack of food security, children often do not know when their next healthy meal will come and suffer a great multitude of health issues as a result.  By establishing a better system of food production and distribution, a lot of India’s childhood malnutrition problems could be vastly improved.

Source: “India: Malnutrition Report.” The World Bank.http://go.worldbank.org/TUTLNHSPH0  World Bank Group: 2011.