Every Bite Counts!

It all started with the day I chose the topic of ‘Malnutrition’ for my newsletter as a part of my college curriculum. I started with finding out case studies and then, realised that this isn’t tough because almost every child living in the slums of Delhi is malnourished.

Delhi, being the capital of India, has seen many migrants from other states. These migrants seldom have roof over their heads and food in their stomachs. Their children suffer the most because the crucial years of their lives are being ruined, because of negligible nutrition. These children lose the energy to play and run around, something which is very important in their formative years.

The children I met surely had the spark in their eyes. They were innocent and carefree, but what they lacked was the physical energy to live a child’s life. For no fault of theirs, they are born into families who are unable to fend for themselves. They grow up with poverty as their companion. With no outside intervention, they become individuals left with a tough life to look forward to.

The fact that every second child in India is malnourished, made me go for this topic as I wished to spread awareness among the urban folk. Innumerable schemes by the government have not helped reduce malnutrition.  Efforts by NGOs have not helped fully curb it. I recently saw this post on a social networking site which says, “The world’s hunger is getting ridiculous. There is more fruit in a rich man’s shampoo than in a poor man’s plate.” Well, this made me realise how irresponsible our society has become. When majority of our population is malnourished, we are nowhere to be seen as their caretakers. The society’s attitude has to change. It is not only the duty of the government or NGOs to take care of the malnourished population. We can do our duty by feeding at least one child every day.  Our pockets are not going to become empty. However, we can ensure our part in helping the nation. Because every bite counts.

For the newsletter, please check the following link:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/193271388/Lives-Ahead-Final