Prevent Child Deaths

Around 42% of children under the age of three in rural areas of Nepal suffer from stunted growth (53% in mountain areas). This in turn leads to greater susceptibility to various illnesses and diseases

and this in turn accounts for around 50% of deaths of children under the age of five.

A lot of these problems are caused by lack of understanding about nutrition whilst pregnant and also feeding practices after the child’s birth. For instance, only 45% of children are breastfed within 1 hour of birth and 15% still have not been breastfed after 24 hours. The average length of breastfeeding is only 4.2 months whilst the recommended period is for a minimum of six months.

Malnutrition and disease work in a viscous circle. The more a child is malnourished the more likely they are to get diseases which then means in turn they are more likely to become further malnourished. 

Many of the problems can be overcome by education and the Trust is planning to hold relevant educational training in rural areas and, where appropriate, providing vitamin A and Iron and Foliate substances.

Some of the main ways to prevent stunted growth in young children are

1 To focus on the first 1,000 days

2 Where necessary to provide Iron and Foliate supplements for women during pregnancy

3 Early commencement of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months

4 Vitamin A supplements from age 6 months to 3 years

5 Addressing food taboos during pregnancy and during the complementary feeding period from 6-24 months

6 Improvement of sanitation and water supplies

7 Encouraging diversity of food eaten

Give now
Help us to help prevent stunted growth and early death in children. 

• Your gift of £3 a month will enable us to give an essential nutritional pack to one new expectant mother a month and
• £8 a month will enable us to train one community volunteer to provide help and advice in their local community.