Nation's children go hungry<\/p>\n
Although in many parts of the country the dry season is still
\nin its early stages, the danger of hunger, malnutrition and
\nfamine -- the government officials often use different terms to
\neither dramatize or play down the severity of the problem -- has
\nbegun to haunt the country again. In West Nusa Tenggara alone, a
\nprovince which for years had prided itself as a rice \"exporter\"
\nto other provinces, seven out of 51 children died of severe
\nmalnutrition in the last five months. Six of the children died in
\na hospital in the provincial capital city Mataram.<\/p>\n
Pictures of starving children in the province, which according
\nto a national media group has reached the level of marasmus
\nkwarsiorkor (severe famine), appeared on TV screens and
\nnewspapers on Thursday reminiscent of scenes in Africa some time
\nago, although the situation in the continent is of course much
\nmuch worse. Nevertheless, reports on malnutrition and poor health
\nprotection for children are common.<\/p>\n
In East Nusa Tenggara the situation is no better although
\nthere have been no fatalities. In the province, about 902,000
\npeople are suffering from food shortages, or nearly one-quarter
\nof the province's total population.<\/p>\n
It is true that until the economic crisis hit the country in
\n1997, news of famine or malnutrition was seldom heard, either was
\nbecause the country's economy was still quite good or because the
\ngovernment could easily prohibit the media from publishing news
\nof food shortages which the government regarded as an
\nembarrassment. At that time the presence of posyandu (integrated
\nhealth service posts) which could reach up to the RT
\n(neighborhood unit) level was quite effective for monitoring
\nchildren's health. After the crisis the centers were practically
\nno longer operational. As shown by the rising cases of polio in
\nWest Java, the absence of the centers along with the government's
\ninability to provide health services, have played a crucial role
\nin the outbreak.<\/p>\n
Since then also, reports on food shortages, low purchasing
\npower and even starvation, worsening health facilities for
\nchildren and poor sanitation, have from time to time appeared
\nespecially during the dry season. The government has also tried
\nhard to mitigate the problems caused by famine or food shortages
\nby providing cheap rice or by opening labor-intensive projects in
\nthe needy areas.<\/p>\n
The government also has a list of vulnerable areas throughout
\nthe country. The comment of Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Alwi Shihab on food shortages in East Nusa Tenggara two
\nmonths ago, however, also reflects the attitude of many officials
\nwho try to play down, if not attempt to cover up the malnutrition
\nproblem. They think negative reports will tarnish their image.<\/p>\n
The question is which is more important: to protect the
\nofficials' image or to save the lives of starving children?<\/p>\n
The country's economy is still in the recovery stage, and it
\nwill have a direct impact on nutritional problems. According to
\nthe Central Statistics Bureau (BPS), the country's poverty rate
\nstood at 16.4 percent of the country's 220 million people. Open
\nunemployment reached about 10 percent of the workforce, or about
\n10.3 million people. It means that even if the government has a
\nan adequate food supply it also has the problem of distribution
\nto remote areas. Also even if food is available in the market,
\npeople's purchasing power is very low.<\/p>\n
We must remember, however, that all of us share the
\nresponsibility to prevent famine or malnutrition especially among
\nchildren. Perhaps we do not realize that there are children who
\nlive near us who are suffering from malnutrition. Perhaps we are
\naware of it, but we think it is not our business. The private
\nsector also has a moral responsibility to help those in trouble,
\nbecause how can we expect a better future generation when we do
\nnot help the victims of poverty?<\/p>\n
As the food shortage is not a new issue, the government should
\nhave more than enough experience in handling such a disaster.
\nEarly measures to prevent a tragedy from occurring will be more
\neffective rather than delivering assistance after more children
\nfall victim to the effects of famine.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nations-children-go-hungry-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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