BENIN/ NUTRITION

UNICEF is working with families to counter the myths and cultural prejudices that hinder child development. In Benin, one third of children under five suffer from malnutrition because of ignorance about nutrition. UNICEF

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:30
• Production Date: 14 April 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; NUTRITION
• Geographic Subject: BENIN
• MAMS Id: U100414d

Description

STORY: BENIN / NUTRITION
TRT: 2.30
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: FRENCH/NATS

DATELINE: DECEMBER 2009, ALIBORI DISTRICT, BENIN

Shotlist

1. Various, people in streets
2. Close up, baby being measured
3. Med shot, shot baby being measure
4. Various, mother brings children for treatment to Comparou health clinic
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Anne-Sophie Le Dain, UNICEF Nutrition Officer
“Malnutrition is a phenomenon that starts very early in life from the womb and its consequences are irreversible. What we have here is a problem of child survival. Acute malnutrition is a serious problem. Children suffering from acute malnutrition are 9 times more likely to die compared to those children who are not malnourished.”
6. Various, mothers with children being weighed
7. Various, mothers receive lesson in how to cook nutritious food
8. Various, children eating nutritious food
9. Various, people in street

Storyline

Nine million people live in Benin which runs in a narrow strip, from the tropical Atlantic coast all the way to here—to the drought-prone north.

A third of children under the age of five in Benin suffer from malnutrition. Eighty-five percent of the population is rural, and dependent on the crops they harvest for their income and stable diet.

At the Comparou health clinic, Linata Gbadamassi, treats a sixteen-month old boy. He’s given plumpy nut, a revolutionary ready-to-eat therapeutic food that allows children to be treated at home.

SOUNDBITE (French) Anne-Sophie Le Dain, UNICEF Nutrition Officer:
“What we have here is a problem of child survival. Acute malnutrition is a serious problem. Children suffering from acute malnutrition are nine times more likely to die compared to those children who are not malnourished.”

A mix of economics, cultural beliefs and unequal gender relations provide the complex causes that put children’s lives at risk.

Under the shade tree a simple meal is prepared. The recipe, targeted at children over six months, is a mix of local ingredients. Oil ground peanuts or dried fish are added to boost the protein in the children’s porridge.

Community nurse Linata says the main cause of malnutrition is ignorance. She says there is not a shortage of food but mothers don’t use the right ingredients. They tend to give the child plain porridge of just maize or millet instead of enriching it with soya.

UNICEF worked with the Ministry of Health to introduce a new approach. It aimed at empowering the community to be able to detect the worst cases themselves and avert disaster.

The priority is to reach children before they get too sick or experience complications and need to be hospitalized.