Over 1 million babies born malnourished<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Women's Empowerment Khofifah
\nIndah Parawansa revealed on Monday that 30 percent of 3.5 million
\nbabies born in the last two years had serious malnutrition.<\/p>\n
\"Many of these babies were born weighing less than two
\nkilograms because of their mothers' poor health,\" Khofifah said
\nin a ceremony marking the first anniversary of PT Sara Lee's
\nZwitsal Love Indonesian Children Program here.<\/p>\n
Malnutrition has been prevalent among newborns and infants in
\nrural and urban areas following the economic crisis that hit the
\ncountry in 1997.<\/p>\n
\"Many babies were born underweight because their mothers,
\nespecially those from young families, suffered malnutrition,\" the
\nminister said.<\/p>\n
Their growth would be retarded, both physically and mentally,
\nshe said, adding that unless help came quickly, they would become
\n\"the lost generation\".<\/p>\n
\"These children will likely face a dark future and they will
\nbecome a serious social problem for the nation,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Khofifah, who also heads the National Family Planning Board
\n(BKKBN), called for a nationwide campaign to address the problem
\nof malnutrition and its impacts on women and children.<\/p>\n
The family planning agency, she said, has a health care
\nprogram for babies and mothers in its social safety net programs
\nlaunched over the last two years, but these would be inadequate
\nwithout public support, particularly from non-governmental
\norganizations and consumer goods producers.<\/p>\n
\"We should give attention to newborns because the nation's
\nfuture lies in their hands,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Spike Braunius, president of PT Sara Lee, said his company in
\ncooperation with Kenari Foundation and Sayap Ibu Foundation in
\nYogyakarta raised Rp 403 million over the last year to help more
\nthan 1,400 babies and infants suffering malnutrition in
\nprovincial cities in Java.<\/p>\n
\"Under the health care program, 78 percent of the babies and
\ninfants have grown normally. The other 22 percent are still in
\nthe program,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The program consists of supplementary food distribution,
\nregular health checkups and facility restoration projects for
\nmothers and children, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have helped build several kindergartens and health care
\ncenters for mothers and children in provincial cities,\" he said,
\nadding that his company has also distributed DHA vitamins to
\nhealth centers to help increase children's intelligence. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/over-1-million-babies-born-malnourished-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}