“The world produces enough food to feed every man, woman and child on earth. Hunger and malnutrition therefore are not due to lack of food alone, but are also the consequences of poverty, inequality and misplaced priorities.”- UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Kul C. Gautam.
In my life, food has played a critical role in my well-being. It is the center of my family traditions and good health. I remember as a child being told to “eat all of my vegetables so that you would grow up to become big and strong” or “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” And now to maintain good health, it is important for me to keep up with proper dieting and exercise. I do not ever remember a day where I didn’t come home to a home cooked meal or went to bed hungry because we didn’t have anything to eat. That’s why it is still so very unbelievable how many of our children around the world do not receive a nutritious meal on a daily basis. It is even sadder that they may not be eating at all. I have often pondered how can something so vital to life be a commodity?
Nutrition/Malnutrition has a critical impact from the womb. “Proper nutrition is a powerful good: people who are well nourished are more likely to be healthy, productive, and able to learn. Good nutrition benefits families, their communities and the world as a whole” (UNICEF).For under developed regions of the world, food ranks high upon the list of unavailable resources. This lack affects everyone. If mothers suffer from malnutrition, then so will their unborn and probably the whole family. This will also affect factors of sleep, rest, and normal daily functioning. “Malnutrition is, by the same logic, devastating” (UNICEF)
Somalia has the highest rate of malnutrition around the globe. As of September, more than 200, 000 children are suffering from malnutrition. This cause is not from hunger, but from the malfunction as humanitarians. One third of Somalia is unable to meet the basic essential needs. The poor nutritional status of children results from unclean living environments, unsterile water, health care services, and the quality of dieting and proper infant feeding practices.
The information learned from my research impacts my future work in major ways. As a conscious effort to meet the needs of children as a whole, the service that I provide will accommodate all the factors that influence the lives of children and their development. In order to try to alleviate this issue we must consider the factors that contribute to it and the potential results that are depending on it.
Reference
Hello, Dionna-
ReplyDeleteIn your post you quoted, “The world produces enough food to feed every man, woman and child on earth. Hunger and malnutrition therefore are not due to lack of food alone, but are also the consequences of poverty, inequality and misplaced priorities.”- UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Kul C. Gautam. You also talked about how Somalia has the highest rate of malnutrition. I also grew up never having to worry about basic necessities, especially food. This topic affects me personally because in two weeks I have a new student from Somalia starting first grade in my class. In Minnesota, specifically St. Cloud, where I teach, we have one of the highest Somali populations in the United States. The student that I have starting in my class already has a file started on her explaining how important it is that we provide a daily snack, breakfast and lunch to them because their family is not able to provide their child with one. The family struggles with providing basic needs to this child and as a result of this starting from when the child was born, the child has learning disorders. I cannot help but to agree with UNICEF’s Kul C. Guatam that although our world produces enough food, other factors are at play when it comes to malnutrition. I find it my priority as a teacher to make sure that each of my students has a proper meal and adequate needs met while they are in my classroom so that I can continually help them in any way possible. As our text by Kathleen Berger explained already as a result of lack of nutrition, the child I will have already has developmental issues due to her malnutrition as a infant before she came over to the United States, however I am making it my priority to make sure that this student has continued support and services to help them to succeed and try and reach their potential without adding to the hardships they are already facing.
Resources
Berger, K. (2009). The Developing Person. New York, New York: Worth Publishers.
UNICEF. (2012, May 25). The Big Picture. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from UNICEF:
http://www.unicef.org/nutrition/index_bigpicture.html
It is a priority as a teacher to make sure that students have a the daily nutrition that they need. It was once told to me that "the meals they recieve from this program, may be the only meals they eat." I took this to heart. I make sure that all my students eat as much as they want. While I can not solve all of the issues that they may be going through, I try to make a difference in resolving the ones that I can.
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