Reuters AlertNet Lite - Uzbek Feeding Project improves health of children in residential care

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FROM THE FIELD

Uzbek Feeding Project improves health of children in residential care

12 Sep 2007 09:28:23 GMT
Source: World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe office (MEERO)

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Improving childrens physical health through balanced feeding provides grounds for their better mental and psychological development
World Vision MEERO, http://meero.worldvision.org

WV Uzbekistan's Children in Crisis Rescue Program aims to safeguard children's right to survival and development for disabled children in residential care and to re-integrate these children with their families and communities wherever possible.

The feeding project is an important part of this program, which, since May 1st, 2007, calls to provide skim milk, iron fortified flour, vegetable oil, sugar, cereals (buckwheat and rice) and sausages for 296 disabled children at the Mercy House to meet their daily nutritional needs. WV Uzbekistan has designated staff who supervise the procurement and distribution of these food items and the meal preparations in accordance with a nutritionists recommendations.

Many children, who used to be undernourished and underweight, now have healthy look and normal weight. A baseline assessment on the nutritional status of children in the Mercy House found that 32% children suffer of anemia, 47% children are mal-or undernourished (children's weight does not correspond to their height) or show signs of vitamin deficiencies, 11% children are underweight.

Now, that the Mercy Houses has some funds freed up as a result of WV's food donation, they can purchase fresh fruits, juices, curds, eggs and other foods, which were previously unavailable to the children and now complement their diet, explains Rustam Gumerov, a WV Social Worker.

"Feeding of the children has been changed radically, promoting their physical development and improved health", says Victor Nesterenko, a local dietician.

Improving childrens physical health through balanced feeding provides grounds for their better mental and psychological development, which, in its turn, is an essential part of re-integrating the children back into the families.

WV Uzbekistans Country Director Hans Bederski says: "Feeding children in the Mercy House is one of the project elements that will facilitate our ultimate goal of re-uniting disabled children with their families and communities. From regular visits with parents we have learnt that chances for family re-integration increase when the children are healthy and happy. Moreover, parents want to learn how to provide best care for their children so that each child can grow to its full potential".

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Wed Sep 12 12:15:33 2007