25/08/2016
Nutritious Food and Hygiene
Usually Clean water, nutritious food, and a hygienic environment are the building blocks of health for any community in the world. Yet, these necessities are out of reach in our beloved country Pakistan for majority of the population lives in low-resource environments. As a result, malnutrition contributes in a large number of childhood deaths in our country particularly in the region of rural Sindh, combined with micronutrient deficiencies in the urban areas as well, though we are aware of that malnourishment stunts children's physical and cognitive development, the consequences of which are life-long. Diarrhea, many cases of which can be attributed to contaminated water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene, is a leading cause of childhood malnutrition and death in third world.
In Karachi, despite numerous advances and improvements in child health globally, malnutrition still remains a major problem, with most cases occurring in South Asia. Almost three quarters of the entire world's low birth weight (LWB) infants, are born in this region. Food insecurity is on the rise as millions of people have failed to find adequate food and nutritious intake due to high food prices. Food insecurity has become one of the major problems in Pakistan and the government has its constitutional obligation to invest in the food and health sector so as to provide food security and health benefits to its people. Rural area women have less access to basic needs of life such as food, health and education, but in case of Karachi containing several Kachi abadies still suffering from the same issues. The rising food prices were denying the right to adequate food to the poorest in Pakistan, provoking hunger, malnutrition and social unrest across the country.
