RANGPUR, Nov 14, 2014 (BSS) – Speakers at a daylong nutrition fair have stressed for creating adequate awareness among the rural mothers who could play vital role in selecting nutritious foodstuffs available all around them to prevent malnutrition of the children. Betdighee Mohona Mohila Samity, Nandalalpur Community Clinic and Betdighee Tarun Shihsu Forum jointlky organised the Nutrition
Fair-2014 with assistance of Fulbari Area Development Programme (ADP) of World Vision Bangladesh (WVB) at Chawrahat Government Primary School under Fulbari upazila in Dinajpur on Thursday.The fair was arranged for creating social awareness about child health, nutritious foods and ways for preventing child maturation through demonstrating different available nutritional foodstuffs and inputs available in rural areas.Six stalls namely ‘Protein’, ‘Starch’, ‘Vitamin’, ‘Water’, ‘Fat’ and ‘Mineral Salts’ were set up in the fair introducing concerned foodstuffs among more than 1,000 participating mothers, students and local people of the area.
Besides, separate stalls were set up in the fair displaying necessity and ways of meeting nutritional demand of pregnant women, anti natal care, balanced diets for women during pregnancy, homestead gardening and emergency medicare services.Acting Fulbari Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Habibul Haque Chowdhury inaugurated the fair as the chief guest with Chairman of the School Managing Committee Nazim Uddin in the chair.Chairman of Betdighee union Shah Mohammad Abdul Quddus, Upazila
Nutrition Specialist of Fulbari Upazila Health Complex Azizul Haque Sarker, Upazila Family Planning Officer Ismail Hossain addressed as the special guests.Acting Manager of Fulbari ADP of WVB Badal Sangma, Chairman of Nandalalpur Community Clinic Management Committee Abdul Latif and President of Betdighee Mohona Mohila Samity Ferdousi Begum also addressed.The speakers stressed for creating mass awareness among the rural people, especially mothers, on proper selection of nutritious foodstuffs, including vegetables, to overcome deficiency of protein, vitamins, iodine, iron and minerals for the children.They narrated severe complications of malnutrition and said that the rate of night blindness, infant and child mortalities could be reduced further by preventing deficiency of protein, vitamins, iodine, iron, mineral among the babies and children.The chief guest said many babies, children, mothers, pregnant women and adolescents are suffering from malnutrition due to lack of adequate social awareness, knowledge and inappropriate food habits that cause subsequent complications.He suggested for proper selection and consumption of nutritious and locally available foodstuffs in preventing deficiency of protein, vitamin, iodine, iron and minerals of the people of all ages including mothers, babies and children.Twenty mothers of Betdighee union were awarded after the discussion session for their excellent efforts in taking proper care of their babies and children, ensuring timely vaccinations, providing de-worming tablets and treatments to keep them healthier.
