Children throughout the world are seen as the hope for a better tomorrow.

Basic child rights such as upbringing, education, and nutrition are secured and given utmost importance.

How appalling is it then, that while the world is busy ensuring a brighter future for their children, we Pakistanis still don’t have basic rights figured out for our children?

While child upbringing and education are two entirely separate topics, we’ve decided to focus on the one that’s most important to a child’s life: nutrition.

Here are a few statistics regarding the state of nutrition among children in our country that will strike a sense of urgency among everyone.

About 36.6% urban and 45% rural children are malnourished

According to Unicef’s research, malnutrition is a serious issue in Pakistan as about 36.6% of urban and 45% of rural children are malnourished.

What’s even more saddening is the fact that nearly 44% of all the children under the age of five suffer from stunted growth.

This means that more than 9.6 million children across the country have suffered chronic nutrition deprivation at some point in their developmental years, which led to them being stunted or malnourished.

What can be done to counter this threat?

Large-scale initiatives need to be taken in order to ensure children all across the country are getting the best in terms of nutrition.

Experienced and qualified nutritionists need to be taken on-board so they can play their role in supervising the diets of particular groups of children in accordance with their age, state of health, and lifestyle.

The threat of malnutrition can be reversed only if everyone is on the same page.

The brands in Pakistan have already taken some initiatives to spread awareness regarding this matter.

The World Milk Day campaign by Olper's Milk is a good example where the brand united Pakistani mothers in their pledge against malnutrition.

Things to take away if you’re a parent

It is essential to understand that malnutrition can affect any child no matter what their lifestyle.

Parents need to learn from this debate as well. A well-balanced diet is crucial for your child in order to keep the issues of malnutrition and stunting at bay.

Furthermore, in the early years, the child’s diet should be kept under strict supervision and healthy habits should be instilled such as drinking milk around the clock.

Regular consumption of milk ensures the child’s muscles, bones, and immune system are strengthened and they get essential nutrients for healthy growth.

The current state of malnutrition across Pakistan may seem too daunting a challenge, but we must take a stand and tackle this with everything we’ve got ─ that is the only way we can guarantee a healthy future full of nutrition and goodness for the children of our country.

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