This article was written in 2010 while I was working for World Vision Cambodia.
Title: The Value of Nutritious
Diet for Children
Thirty-three- year-old Channa Yean is a
mother of three children, her husband Hay Hong, 40, both are
farmers, but Channa’s husband sometimes goes outside the village to work as a
worker to earn extra income. Channa shared, “I did not know what and how to
make good food for all my children and all my family members. We just ate dried
fishes and fried fishes almost everyday. My children seemed to grow very slowly
and their health were also not really good.”
Channa Yean and her husband were pretty busy with earning income to support the family’s living because of poverty. Channa is so busy that she does not have time to properly care for her three children. She did not know what is a good diet and without proper understanding on diet and health, her children are often sick. Not eating enough nutritious food made Channa’s children vulnerable to diseases and other common sickness.
Channa said, “I did not communicate with my neighbors, so I couldn’t learn or exchange any ideas with the people nearby. My house area was dirty and unkempt. We drank un-boiled water and there was no toilet too.”
Sitting nearby her three children, Channa recounted, “My children got stomachache and we needed to earn more money in order to buy medicine. Some amount of money must be set aside for common illnesses. The children were too sick to go to school regularly. They were also having problems in school, they do not feel as clever as the other children.”
Life for Channa began to change when she became a part of World Vision’s project. She learned more about basic hygiene and nutrition to be able to care for her children.
Channa now is in the progress of building a small house with zinc roof and real wooden walls. Among Channa’s three children are her 9 and 6 year-old sons and her 3 year-old daughter. She looked at them fondly and said, “I never wish for any of my children to stop studying. I want to see them live in good health and have a bright future. I don’t want them to work in the farm like me because it’s hard and earn very small amount.”
Channa is a friendly person and she is a fast learner. She was invited by World Vision staff to participate in trainings, which are regularly conducted in the village. She smiled, “I want to learn more to improve my knowledge, especially when the trainings really bear fruits for me because it’s about health. It’s crucial for my family and everyone here. I participated in training on feeding-breast, HIV and AIDS and nutrition, as well as other good trainings.”
She continued, “We now drink boiled-water and I keep myself clean. I know that it is important to wash often. I know how to make nutritious food for the children and I see them really enjoying it. They also look better. I always advise and keep reminding all my children to take baths and stop playing on the dirt because it would cause sickness. They now remember to wash their hands before and after eating. ”
Channa usually follows up on her children’s health by weighting them with a scale. She is happy because she sees they have gained weight steadily. She grinned, “Making nutritious food is not expensive, and it’s easier than I thought. I keep sharing what I have practiced after the trainings. I encourage other villagers who were absent during the training to make nutritious food for their children. Children are the bamboo shoots for the family and our society. I am happy because some villagers started to practice making appropriate food for their children too.”
“I see Channa has changed now. She didn’t share any ideas during the training before. But later on, she is really active and shared lots of ideas. She is curious about learning about health. She asks when she is not clear on any of the sessions. She used to teach other mothers who are her neighbors to cook nutritious food for their children. I hope other mothers would learn from her,” concluded Kanhchna, World Vision’s Transformational Development Facilitator Team Leader.
Channa Yean and her husband were pretty busy with earning income to support the family’s living because of poverty. Channa is so busy that she does not have time to properly care for her three children. She did not know what is a good diet and without proper understanding on diet and health, her children are often sick. Not eating enough nutritious food made Channa’s children vulnerable to diseases and other common sickness.
Channa said, “I did not communicate with my neighbors, so I couldn’t learn or exchange any ideas with the people nearby. My house area was dirty and unkempt. We drank un-boiled water and there was no toilet too.”
Sitting nearby her three children, Channa recounted, “My children got stomachache and we needed to earn more money in order to buy medicine. Some amount of money must be set aside for common illnesses. The children were too sick to go to school regularly. They were also having problems in school, they do not feel as clever as the other children.”
Life for Channa began to change when she became a part of World Vision’s project. She learned more about basic hygiene and nutrition to be able to care for her children.
Channa now is in the progress of building a small house with zinc roof and real wooden walls. Among Channa’s three children are her 9 and 6 year-old sons and her 3 year-old daughter. She looked at them fondly and said, “I never wish for any of my children to stop studying. I want to see them live in good health and have a bright future. I don’t want them to work in the farm like me because it’s hard and earn very small amount.”
Channa is a friendly person and she is a fast learner. She was invited by World Vision staff to participate in trainings, which are regularly conducted in the village. She smiled, “I want to learn more to improve my knowledge, especially when the trainings really bear fruits for me because it’s about health. It’s crucial for my family and everyone here. I participated in training on feeding-breast, HIV and AIDS and nutrition, as well as other good trainings.”
She continued, “We now drink boiled-water and I keep myself clean. I know that it is important to wash often. I know how to make nutritious food for the children and I see them really enjoying it. They also look better. I always advise and keep reminding all my children to take baths and stop playing on the dirt because it would cause sickness. They now remember to wash their hands before and after eating. ”
Channa usually follows up on her children’s health by weighting them with a scale. She is happy because she sees they have gained weight steadily. She grinned, “Making nutritious food is not expensive, and it’s easier than I thought. I keep sharing what I have practiced after the trainings. I encourage other villagers who were absent during the training to make nutritious food for their children. Children are the bamboo shoots for the family and our society. I am happy because some villagers started to practice making appropriate food for their children too.”
“I see Channa has changed now. She didn’t share any ideas during the training before. But later on, she is really active and shared lots of ideas. She is curious about learning about health. She asks when she is not clear on any of the sessions. She used to teach other mothers who are her neighbors to cook nutritious food for their children. I hope other mothers would learn from her,” concluded Kanhchna, World Vision’s Transformational Development Facilitator Team Leader.
-Ends-
No comments:
Post a Comment