Fund to support malnourished ethnic children started

An overview of the fund launching ceremony. — Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — A nutrition fund was launched on Tuesday to give more than 80,000 jars of whey to children in four Central Highlands provinces including Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Đắk Nông and Kon Tum.

The fund launching ceremony was organised in Hà Nội by the Việt Nam Children’s Fund under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs and its partners.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vũ Thị Thúy Hiền, Deputy Director of the Việt Nam Children’s Fund, said that this was a truly meaningful and necessary programme for children, especially those in the Central Highlands.

Data from the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) shows that 38 per cent of ethnic children under five years old are malnourished and stunted, leading to a weak state and constant illness.

Children in these areas still face many difficulties related to nutrition and the Việt Nam Children’s Fund has surveys from the NIN, showing that children in the provinces need most help.

Therefore, the fund and sponsors choose the Central Highlands provinces so that children there have more opportunities to improve their nutrition and develop.

Huyền said that the proportion of children in the Central Highlands provinces having access to milk or using dairy products was very low. With widespread poverty, sometimes their meals only consist of rice or only rice with vegetables.

Such meals are completely lacking in nutrients for children to fully develop.

Over more than 32 years in operation, the Việt Nam Children’s Fund has coordinated with different units to jointly carry out programmes to donate milk to children in disadvantaged areas.

The fund has implemented a number of nutrition campaigns, such as the ‘Việt Nam Stand Tall Milk Fund’ that has been operating for 15 years in 63 provinces and cities and the free milk support programme for primary schools which was implemented nationwide for five years.

In addition, the ‘Happy Noodle Package’ programme provided noodles to children in shelters and children in poor areas.

In the future, the fund will continue its mission of providing nutritional and learning opportunities for children, especially those in poorer remote regions.

Huyền affirmed that the fund would also create resources to support poor children nationwide and it will be asking individuals, organisations and philanthropists to join in the support work. — VNS