NYF temporarily switched the focus of its nutrition program from residential care to community outreach - conducting nutrition education workshops in districts hard hit by the earthquakes last spring.
A team of doctors and nurses traveled to villages in Dhading district and screened children for malnutrition and other medical conditions, while nutritionists taught their mothers the basics of good nutrition and sanitation at a half dozen such camps held throughout the region.
The program shift was necessary because a lengthy blockade at the Indian border, lifted just last month, nearly crippled the tiny land-locked country. Without crucial supplies such as cooking fuel, medicine and food, NYF staff curtailed the number of children it could care for in its 16 Nutritional Rehabilitation Homes.
The country is gradually regaining its footing, and NYF plans to bring it centers back to capacity.
An estimated 40 percent of all Nepali children are malnourished. In NYF’s residential program, severely malnourished children are nursed back to good health, while their mothers learn to prepare healthy meals using locally available food.
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Nearly all the homes in the district of Sindhpalchowk, nestled at the base of the Himalayas, were leveled by the earthquakes last spring. More than 3,000 district residents lost their lives and thousands more were injured.
Now NYF is helping to ensure that the district’s children don’t become malnourished while their families struggle to rebuild their lives.
We set up nine “community kitchens” at elementary schools throughout the district to provide hot, mid-day meals for the children. Their mothers learn about proper nutrition and hygiene through classes offered by our trained dieticians.
To help measure our effectiveness and establish a baseline, NYF staff surveyed the mothers about their nutrition practices and also measured and weighed the children to determine their overall health.
Malnutrition was a big problem in this tiny country before the massive earthquakes destroyed large swaths of Nepal earlier this spring. Nearly half of all Nepalese children under age five are afflicted with the condition.
NYF operates 16 nutrition clinics throughout Nepal and has educated thousands of mothers and caretakers in the basics of good nutrition.
Thank you for your support.
Namaste!
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More than 350 children and their mothers who were displaced by the devastating earthquakes in Nepal last spring recently attended a two-day nutrition clinic hosted by NYF.
Held in a temporary settlement for earthquake survivors in Nepal’s Dhading district, the clinic was staffed by doctors, nurses and nutrition experts. A third of the children were found to be malnourished and many suffered from a range of medical conditions.
Specialists treated the children on site and taught mother’s the basics of good nutrition and hygiene. Children found to be seriously malnourished were referred to one of NYF’s 16 nutritional rehabilitation homes located throughout the country.
NYF has also established nine Community Nutrition Kitchens throughout the earthquake ravaged districts to provide nutritious meals for children and train their mothers on best nutrition practices and family hygiene.
Thank you for feeding the children of Nepal.
Namaste!
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Malnutrition was a big problem in this tiny country before the massive earthquakes destroyed large swaths of Nepal earlier this spring. Nearly half of all Nepalese children under age five are afflicted with the condition.
Sadly, relief efforts might be worsening the problem. In the immediate aftermath of the quake, relief organizations sent huge amounts of rice, noodles and biscuits to villages, Because these foods are easy and filling, mothers were happy to serve rice, noodles and biscuits to their children three times daily.
Nepal Youth Foundation staff visited three emergency centers in Sindhupalchok, a region hard hit by the quakes, and found many children showing signs of malnourishment.
"This is an unintended consequence of relief," said NYF's President Som Paneru. “This should serve as a lesson for future disasters.'
Instead of starchy, processed food with no nutritional value, Mr. Paneru recommends that relief agencies send non-genetically modified seeds be distributed to the villagers, most of whom already farm their own land.
"Nepal is not suffering from famine or drought," said Mr. Paneru. “So instead of distributing rice, relief agencies should be distributing wheat, millet, and maize, which have ten times more nutrition. They should distribute beans which can be boiled, germinated and consumed."
The seeds would encourage people to return to their land and till the soil, a healing process in itself.
Most families lost the seeds stored inside their houses. By distributing the black lentils and soybeans currently in season, families would feel compelled to return to their homes. Mr. Paneru said that many people are afraid of recurring quakes and need to be reassured that it is safe to return.
"For farmers to go out and till their land is itself a healing process," said Mr. Paneru.
NYF operates 16 nutrition clinics throughout Nepal and has educated thousands of mothers and caretakers in the basics of good nutrition.
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Weighing only 12 pounds, 22-month-old Asmita was admitted to our Nutritional Rehabilitation Home (NRH) in Kathmandu last fall.
She was very hungry and thirsty but was too weak to eat when she arrived on September 14, 2014.
Fifteen days later, the toddler returned home healthy and smiling. And while Asmita was nursed to good health, her mother learned how to better care for her by preparing nutritious meals using locally available food.
To date, we have treated more than 13,000 children in our 16 Nutritional Rehabilitatiion Homes throughout Nepal and taught an almost equal number of mothers how to maintain their child's newfound health.
Our NRH in Kathmandu also serves as a training center and offers dietician education to health care professionals.
Thank you and dhanyabad!
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