Malnutrition crises of our children

Many reports claims that the ‘situation of children is dire, with poor access to health care, acute malnutrition rates above internationally agreed-upon emergency levels, unsafe water, and poor sanitation, which in combination puts the lives of children at significant risk. Pakistan has one of the highest levels of malnutrition in the world and reports says malnutrition leaves children more vulnerable to disease, stunts their mental and physical development and leads to lifelong learning and memory deficiencies, lower IQ, and poorer achievement at school. Children under 5 years of age were 45% stunted in 2013 as compared to 43.7% in 2011 and 41.6% in the 2001, 11% wasted as compared to 15.1% in 2011 and 14.3% in 2001, and 30% underweight as compared to 31.5% in 2011 and 2001. The only success story was iodine status which improved nationally according to the 2011 survey and 69.1% of the households were using iodized salt (kit testing results) as compared to 17% in 2001.They will not be able to work as hard or earn as much. This means a less productive and innovative workforce, which hurts national productivity and, in turn, hampers Pakistan’s economic growth. The first 1,000 days, from the start of a woman’s pregnancy to the child’s second birthday, is the vital window which will shape a child’s entire life. The damage caused by malnutrition in this window is long-term and permanent. Good nutrition for these first 1,000 days is a prerequisite for success in school and in life. Properly nourished children are more likely to take up skilled jobs and boost their wages — enabling them to lift themselves, their family, and ultimately their community out of poverty. Nutrition must be prioritized and tackled — as both a moral and economic necessity. The costs are huge. Malnutrition is estimated to decrease Pakistan’s GDP by two to three per cent and equates to billions of lost rupees every year. This is similar to the lost GDP caused by the energy crisis. CSO,s all other stakeholders in our society need to effective advocacy and to promote good nutrition for the people of Pakistan, a country which is facing a silent crisis of malnutrition that is amongst the worst in the world and has not improved for decades.