On the eve of National Nutrition Week 2019 Participatory Research Action Network- PRAN organized a Nutrition camp with the theme “Think about Nutrition, if you think about Food”.

Although malnutrition and nutritional disorder are very common, many people in Bangladesh do not have knowledge about locally available food to meet their nutritional demand. Many people believe the misconception that nutrition is all about rich foods. The level of education and access to information on nutrition is extremely low. There is an urgent need to increase awareness and disseminate information on tackling malnutrition and undernutrition with locally available foods.

With the aim to create awareness of child and maternal nutrition and to make the children familiar with nutritious foods PRAN organize Essay competition, Native fruits exhibition, Poster exhibition, painting competition and discussion among the students of N. Little Star Kindergarten on April 29, 2019, in Maijdee Noakhali.

Nurul Alam Masud, Chief Executive of PRAN, Nasima Munni- Program officer of PRAN, Noakhali Correspondent of Ekushey Television Mr. Azadul Islam other than that participated in the discussion led by the Chairperson of Noakhali Nari Odhikar Jot and the Principal of N. Little Star Kindergarten Laila Parvin. The speakers said, according to the data of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, there are 4 million people in our country who cannot afford to buy 2122 calories’ of daily food. Among them, the number of people who are incapable of earning enough to buy 1805 calories’ of food is 2 million. One of the most important goals of Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG) is to end all types of poverty and the promise of zero hunger in the next 15 years. The speakers demand safe food and nutritional safety for all, to ensure nutritious food for people of all ages, especially to take both government and non-governmental initiatives to ensure the safety of balanced food for the children. More than 75 percent of the children under five years of age are having some degree of malnutrition. Around 70 percent of children and mother have Iron deficiency anemia. Some are having both micro and micronutrient deficiency. Though poverty is a problem in our country but most of these deficiencies are not due to poverty, it is due to lack of awareness, ignorance, carelessness, hygienic problem etc.

Highlighting the importance of eggs, milk, native fruits and vegetables as a nutrition source, they mentioned that we must come away from medicine oriented nutrition assumption. There is no alternative of taking plenty of nutritious food including foods like fruits, vegetables, egg, and milk to live a healthy life. So we must take nutritious/healthy food every day to stay away from malnutrition. Public awareness must be raised. Along with these, they also insisted on the need for institutional and family education to grow the habit of taking native fruits and vegetables among children.