QUETTA: The World Food Program (WFP) has signed a programme with the planning and development department of Balochistan government to prevent stunting among children in the Pishin district of the province.
This was revealed by the WFP in a press release on the occasion of the signing of the programme. The programme is aimed at breaking the inter-generational cycle of stunting and malnutrition across Pishin. Although China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) brings promises of a better future to the region, particularly with the development of Gwadar, poverty and malnutrition still persist alarmingly in the province.
According to the figures shared by WFP, half of all children under five are stunted and 16 per cent of Balochistan’s population is malnourished. Moreover, 70 per cent of children and three quarters of pregnant and nursing women are anemic.
“Four out of five households in Balochistan cannot afford a minimally nutritious diet,” said WFP representative and Pakistan Country Director Finbarr Curan.
Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Nutrition Director Baseer Khan Achakzai further revealed, “One of the reasons for stunting and wasting among our children is that their parents are sometimes not able to provide them with a nutritious and balanced diet.”
