Child Health and Nutrition

April, 22, 2007,

Azimabad, Nawabshah

Seminar Report
By
Nisar Brohi

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

1. An Introduction

2. Objectives of the Seminar

3. Seminar Proceedings

3.1 Mr. Mir Dost, Naib Nazim, Union Council

Jamsahib
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Development
Foundation (SDF)
3.3 Mr. K. K Brohi, Branch Manger, SRSP, Shahpur
Chaker
3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Branch Manager SRSP,
Nawabshah
3.4 Mr. Karim Bux Solangi, Social Activist,
Azimabad
3.5 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist
3.6 Dr. Faiz Muhammed, Child Specialist
3.7 Dr. Abdul Haque, Child Specialist

4. Recommendations of the Seminar

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

1. An Introduction
In Pakistan it is estimated that 9 out of 100
children die before the age of one year. For
children under the age of 5 years the mortality
rate is estimated to be even higher. According to
some estimates 750,000 children die each year in
Pakistan before reaching the age of five years. A
far greater number of children suffer from
different diseases, which seriously hamper their
mental and physical development. Some of the main
cause for frequent illness and deaths amongst young
children are frequent bouts of diarrhea,
respiratory infections and malnutrition. The
underlying causes of the situation include lack of
access to safe water and disposal of human wastes,
inadequate access to quality health services and
poor personal and food hygiene.

While keeping in view the above grim and burgeoning

health and nutrition problems of the children in
Pakistan, Sangat Welfare and Development
Organization organized a one day seminar on Child
Health and Nutrition at Remote area of Nawabshah
District, Azimabad, in order to discuss and
highlight the child health and nutrition problems
with the community in the rural areas, and also get
realized concerned stakeholders on the
deterioration health condition of rural children,
and make efforts for the possible solution of the
health and nutrition problems of the rural
children.

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

2. Objectives of the Seminar

To create awareness regarding child health and
nutrition

To educate the rural community on the basic child
health issues

To create awareness about the prevention of
diseases and promotion of child health

To develop the understanding and knowledge about
child health and nutrition and balanced diet.

3. Seminar Proceedings

3.1 Mr. Mir Dost, Naib Nazim, Union Council

Jamsahib
While welcoming the seminar participants, Mr. Dost
said that he offers thanks on behalf of the
community of union council Jamsahib to Sangat
Welfare and Development Organization holding
seminar especially on the child health and
nutrition in the remote area of the district
Nawabshah, where health in general and child health
and nutrition in particular are the burning issues
of the area.
Despite efforts of local government, the child
health has been remained a key problem in the UC
Jamsahib. A large number of innocent children have
been suffering from many diseases such as diarrhea,
TB, malnutrition, heatstroke etc. Due to
unawareness, the poor community doesn’t have due
attention on the health of their children. So, lack
of attention, develops and promotes many health
problems not only for the victim child but also the
whole family suffered a lot mentally and
financially.
He further said there is reasonably need to launch
a health awareness campaign for the child health
and nutrition betterment. He offered his full

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

support from Union Council for the cause of
betterment of children health and nutrition.
3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Development
Foundation (SDF)
While talking on the occasion, Mr. Brohi said SDF,
Nawabshah, Sindh, is not for profit and non-
governmental entity, launched on couple of years
back, with a commitment to work for healthy and
socio-economically sound society, working closely
with all stakeholders of the society. Sangat
Welfare and Development Organization has been
working on issues and rights of the vulnerable and
marginalised communities, especially the women and
children of the remote and backward rural areas.
He further said after field visits of the rural and
remote areas of the district by Sangat welfare and
development organization team, it has been observed
that the rural poor community has been entangled
with many socio-economic and health problems. Due
to poverty and unawareness, they have had many
problems to face in their life. But the most
suffering segment of the community is the
vulnerable segments of society i.e children and
women community.
So, SDF being responsible civil society entity,
decided to hold a seminar on the child health and
nutrition as considering the child health and
nutrition as the basic problem in the rural
community. With this Sangat Welfare and Development
Organization intend to hold seminars, workshops,
dialogue, kachahries also on other socio-economic
and health issues affecting directly the rural
community with a view to create awareness among the
marginalised classes of the society as well as
civil society stakeholders to mitigate the
suffering of the poor and vulnerable rural
communities.

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

3.3 Mr. K. K Brohi, Branch Manager Sindh rural
Support Program (SRSP) Shahpur chaker
Mr. Brohi talking in the seminar said, due to
uneducation and unawareness, our society is passing
through many socio-economic and moral crises. The
people are very reluctant to play their due roles
and responsibilities in the over all society
building up and also for the prosperity, welfare
and development of their respective families.
It has been noticed that sanitation and hygienic
conditions are the primary issue in the rural
areas. However, the rural children mostly are
hosting diseases from their houses, because the
houses and their surroundings are always filled
with garbage and unhygienic conditions. It is usual
business to throw all garbages openly in the
courtyards and even sleeping rooms of the houses by
the rural community.
The most affectees of these unhygienic conditions
are the child community, because they use to play
on these open grounds and courtyards of the houses
and villages.
However, there is direly need to create awareness
in the rural community as they should keep safe and
clean their houses, with a view to make safe and
secure their children from the diseases.
3.4 Mr. Zulfiqar Ali, Manager, Sindh Rural Support
Program (SRSP) Nawabshah
Mr. Zulfiqar said, it is no doubt that child health
and nutrition is the main problem currently having
by the rural community of Nawabshah district. Due
to poverty as well as health unawareness, rural
community has developed multidimensional health
problems, but the most affected segments of the
community are the children and women, being a
dependent class of the society.

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

The child and women are always neglected class of
the rural community. Due to powerlessness, they are
not consulted while taking any decision regarding
their lives and destiny. They are born to obey to
their male parents or guardians, if ever they show
disagreement on any issue, it would be tantamount
to disobey and insulting of the guardian. They are
discriminated in all ways and means of the life.
The child and women community, with other
discriminations in the society they also face
problems in the health area of the life. They are
usually ignored during the minor health infections
/problems, so that reluctant attitude by the
parents/guardians bring them at the alarming stage,
at the end, they would have to face life and death
threats.
It is need of the time that there should be
sustained campaign for the awareness on the child
and women health as well as other socio-economic
issues. As to bring the child and women community
into the mainstream and the core of the society,
and get their existence realized in the male
sovereign society.
3.4 Mr. Karim Bux Solangi, Social Activist,
Azimabad
Mr. Solangi speaking in the seminar said that
children are the future of any nation, therefore,
they need special attention and look after and
proper education as well as health and nutrition
care.
Health is the base for all other socio-economic
activities of the life. If any one has been
suffering from any physio-emotional disorder,
he/she can’t perform his/her duties properly. It is
also the fact that foundation of health is laid at
the childhood stage. If u would not have taken any
safe health-oriented steps for your children that

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

would have later on problems on the child growth
and development. Therefore, it is necessary that
special focus should be given on the child health
and development at its early age. As children
should be made safe and secure from all diseases,
otherwise, ignorance would ultimately lead to
disastrous and serious condition.
He also informed the participants that the issue of
child health and nutrition is main problem
especially in the rural villages, where the
majority of children are suffering from
malnutrition and other minor and major diseases. He
requested for medical and health awareness
especially on the child health issues in the rural
villages. The most of the rural community is devoid
from basic proper nourishment skills of the proper
feeding, care and development of child.
3.5 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist
The eminent health Educationalist Dr. Ghulam Rasool
speaking in the seminar said in fact child health
and nutrition are the main and basic issue in the
rural community.
One, the majority of the people of rural areas are
uneducated, therefore, health is the secondary
importance for them. Secondly, when they and their
children are sufferings from health problem, they
have dearth of health guidance and facilities, so
their sufferings and miseries are multiplied during
these crises. There is strong need of health
education and medical rehabilitation of the rural
poor people, in order to mitigate their health
sufferings especially to save the future of
children.
The majority of rural mothers are devoid of basic
knowledge and education to proper feeding to the
children in rural areas. The mothers don’t care on
the proper feeding as well as safe and secure food.
It is mostly observed that the children are either

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

given hygienic food or not balanced diet that lead
to many health complications, ultimately mortality
of the child.
There is need for social mobilization and
involvement of community people for cooperation and
coordination with health care providers to bridge
the gap between knowledge and practices about
frequently occurring diseases in the rural areas.
Such as diarrhea, the use of drugs is still the
treatment of diarrhea, 81 percent mothers know
about the ORS but only 19 percent of these have
used it.
According to micro nutritional survey, 60 to 70
percent pre school going children were found
malnourished, the main cause to start the weaning
food at the age of 9 months. The findings show that
25 to 30 percent children being born low birth
weight, 45 percent, mothers are anaemic. The cause
of malnutrition and anemic is not shortage of food
but is due to lack of knowledge about nutritional
value of food.
There is a need to educate and motivate the mothers
to start supplementary food to infants at the age
of 6 months and mothers should also intake more
food during pregnancy and lactation, spacing the
pregnancies for their own health and health of
their children.
Dr. pointed out that there is extremely lack of
health education and awareness especially in our
rural and backward communities, in this regard, Dr.
highlighted following causes for frequently
occurring diseases in the rural areas.
 Lack of awareness about prevention of diseases
and promotion of child health
 Non availability of safe drinking water
 Non accessibility at health facilities
 Low literacy rate

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

  Poor environmental sanitation and hygienic
condition
 Lack of knowledge about nutritional values of
food and balanced diet.
 Late diagnosis of diseases
 Repeated pregnancies
 Poor health care and traditional treatment
There is badly need of launching awareness campaign
regarding health education and nutrition of the
child in the rural areas in order to control on the
frequently reoccurring diseases in the rural
children.
3.6 Dr. Faiz Muhammed, Child Specialist
Dr. Faiz while speaking in the seminar focused his
talk on the safe drinking water problem especially
in rural schools. He said safe and potable water
for the rural children is now a days the striking
issue in the rural community as well as rural
schools. Polluted water is the mother of all
diseases, which certainly having colossal health
losses for mostly vulnerable child community. It
has been observed that the children of rural areas
facing a lot of problems in having proper, safe and
potable water. In rural schools, availability of
potable water is the main problem for the children.
With this, it is noticed that overcrowding in the
classes and lack of ventilation, also play havoc
with health of the children.
In order to ensure the health safety of rural
children, following measures should be taken.

 Providing safe drinking water in schools

 Undertaking period health screening of children
 Improving ventilation and reducing over crowing
in class rooms
 Formation of health school committee
 Improving school cleanness and environmental
sanitation

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

  To start nutrition education program
 To construct hygienic toilets and proper
disposal of refuse.
3.7 Dr. Abdul Haque, Child Specialist
While sharing his expert views in the seminar on
child health and nutrition, Dr. Haq said, majority
of the rural children are extremely suffering from
Malnutrition problem. Due to lack of health
education and awareness’ no proper attention is
paid on the feeding and nutrition of the child
community in the rural areas. Therefore, the most
of the children are suffering from malnutrition
problem.
There is highly need of health education campaign
in the rural areas, with a view to ensuring the
proper nutrition in the normal conditions as well
as during the sickness of the child, because mostly
children are kept away from feeding during the
sickness due to fearing from further deterioration
of child health.
But there is also need to promote breast feeding
education, because, it is now growing tradition and
fashion among the mothers in the rural areas of the
bottle feeding of the children. Due to the bottle-
feeding, many diseases erupts in the children,
because, the bottles mostly filled with unhygienic
conditions, which stimulate diseases in the
vulnerable and weak children.
However, child health education and awareness
campaign should be launched in the rural areas, in
order to create diseases free environment for the
children and also to educate the rural mothers for
proper feeding, preferably the breast feeding in
the early months of the neonatal child, and also
proper care and development of the children.
4. Recommendation of the Seminar

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition

♦ Child health education campaign should be
launched especially in the rural areas,
♦ The mothers in the rural areas should be trained
as skillfully dealing with the frequently
occurring child disease problems,
♦ School health education program should be
launched in order to creating child friendly
environment
♦ Mobile health facilities should be arranged in
the remote and backward rural areas to educate
the rural folk especially mothers to take prevent
measures regarding the children health
♦ Child health care units should be established in
the rural remote areas, to provide the health
facilities in time of emergency
♦ To Raise awareness on the link between the
latrines and diseases
♦ To Create awareness for the Promotion of hand
washing practices in the rural houses/people
♦ Media campaign should be carried out regarding
the child health and nutrition awareness.

Seminar Report: Child Health and Nutrition