India has the most number of malnourished children in the world – 1 in every 3 children is malnourished. Out of 500 million children in India, a whopping 97 million are anaemic and undernourished. The deficiency of micronutrients like iron, iodine, vitamin A, folate and zinc results in malnutrition in India. The situation is extremely critical because the effects of malnourishment are irreversible if it occurs at a young age. It leads to permanent disabilities that render the children ill for the rest of their lives.
Joint venture
HealthXP, a sports nutrition supplement provider and NGO CRY (Child Rights and You) have come together in their fight against the rise of malnutrition among Indian children. With every purchase of a product from HealthXP, INR 10 will be donated towards helping children get healthy again. The collected corpus will be used for the malnutrition project which will be implemented and supervised by CRY.
Malnutrition in India is a problem with multiple dimensions that urgently needs focused attention at both, the macro and the micro level. In this context, local communities and civil society can play an important role by ensuring that all children under five are regularly weighed, and that pregnant and lactating mothers are ensured adequate nutrition and care, according to CRY.
Stats on malnutrition in India
On an average, 74 children out of 1000 do not live to see their 5th birthday. States like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Jharkhand have an even higher under-5 mortality rate of 90 per 1000. More than a quarter of the babies born in Bihar, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tripura are low in birth weight, while Haryana leads the list with 32.7% of its child population weighing in below par. Contrary to common perception, metropolitan cities like Mumbai and Delhi have not escaped the grasp of malnutrition in India, where more than four out of every 10 children are stunted.
Says Girish Joshi, Co-founder and Managing Director, HealthXP, “Every contribution will ensure children get proper nutrition, better healthcare and a healthy start to life.”
