Stop Stunting

I am pretty used to being the 6 foot baby giraffe towering over everyone, but I do find many Malawians to be particularly short.  I also started noticing public health posters to “stop stunting” all over town. I read that 53% of children have stunted growth due to malnutrition. The main meal here is “nshima” which is corn with all the nutrients smashed out of it and turned into “Miele Meal”, which is then mixed with boiling water and ends up looking a lot like mashed potatoes. At lunch they give you huge portions with a little bit of relish (vegetables), and maybe some local chicken or fish. You use your hands to roll it into a little ball and dip it into the relish. Not very healthy. A lot of the work we do at the VSO Malawi office has cross cutting themes that promote better nutrition and diversifying diets which are vital components of improving food security, securing livelihoods in agriculture, increasing educational levels and improving the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.