Issues and Trends: Economists,Neuroscientists, and Politicians as Early Childhood Advocates

Information from Save the children- International
 
The sections relevant to my current professional development include the following:

Policies on the issue of Undernutrition: The invisible killer of 3 million children a year.

Lawerence Haddad posted an article about undernutrition of millions of children in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africia. Undernutrition remains one of the biggest development challenges because of the long lasting effects it causes to children.  The EU set out policies on the issue. The media focus is on children who are desperately  thin and wasting away means that chronic undernutrition ( Haddad,2013).

 Although the children appear to look healthy and normal their brain development and immune systems are not. 40% of all children under 5 in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africia are short for their age. Their stunted height is a indication of deprivations regarding food intake, care and play, clean  water, good sanitation and health care. Stunting and wasting in the first 1000 days after conception represents a squandering of human potential. Undernourished children are more likely to get sick, resulting in death. Undernourished children of five years or over are more likely to be overweight and to develop chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.  Having access to this information will help me to become more effectively in advocating for the well-being of children.

Something I found controversial was if it is a known fact that undernutrition of children leads to all types of problems, and what is needed as a prevention measure is leadership, why is it not being established. The article goes on to expalin that the prevention of stunting improves school performance  for children,it improves wages, earned income,employment rates, and  reduces poverty, and adds to economic growth. So my question still remains, if you can head off a problem from occuring, why not use the information to make things better?

Leadership is needed if the problem is going to get better, malnutrition in children is a silent wrecker, it is said to be no one's responsibility everyone in society, but we must make it our business if we want to save our children from wasting away. Leadership is needed in these countries if the survival of children is one of the leading important things for the people especially for the first 1000 days of life.

Reference:

Haddah,L (2013). Undernutrition: the invisible killer of 3 million children a year. Retrieved from Save the children international website. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/13/undernutrition-invisible-killer-chil....