Malnutrition hits poor children in Lalmonirhat

Many children in the district do not attain normal physical and mental growth due to severe malnutrition.

Three children of Jarina Begum and Mansur Ali of Kakina village under Kaliganj upazila say they can't pay attention to their studies or take part in games or normal activities due to weakness, which is caused by malnutrition.

Jarina Begum said, "We feed rice to our children three times a day, but cannot give them meat, fish or fruit regularly due to poverty." Mansur Ali, a farm labourer, said, "The doctor told me to buy vitamin syrup for our children, but I cannot afford it."

Salma Akhter, 8, a Class III student at Bagdora village under Lalmonirhat Sadar, said she goes to school after eating some rice, but she does not have lunch in the school. "I feel very weak, and that affects my learning," she said.

Reaz Khandaker Rinkue, an NGO representative working for Char Health and Education in Lalmonirhat, said malnutrition in Lalmonirhat, especially in chars and remote villages, is very common. "It is necessary to build awareness among the people about the bad impact of malnutrition, and also to provide nourishing food to the ultra poor. That will remove malnutrition gradually," he added.

Lalmonirhat Civil Surgeon Dr Ahsan Ali Babu said if a malnourished woman gives birth, the baby will also be malnourished. If it does not get nourishing food, its normal growth gets hampered and it will never be fit mentality and physically, he said.

Officials of the Women Affairs Department in Lalmonirhat said a lactating mother of an ultra poor family gets financial support for buying nourishing food, but the programme is meant only for the municipality area.

Juliya Sultana Suma, a teacher of Char Falimari Smrity Roy Primary School, said, "If the children of this school get nourishing food, it will make them very good in their studies," she added.

District Primary Education Officer Nabez Uddin said World Food Programme (WFP) is providing nourishing biscuits at some primary schools in Hatibandha and Patgram upazilas, but most schools, especially in char areas, are deprived of this facility. "I am trying to  start the WFP programme in all schools in the district," he said.