[Tlc] L-UN report

[justinm at ucr.edu]

FYI.
Thanks,
justin

2007-1108 - BKK Post - UN reports serious malnutrition in Laos

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=123399

UN reports serious malnutrition in Laos

Half of the children in rural Laos are "chroncially
malnourished," according to a study released by the United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday.

"In rural Laos today, every second child is chronically
malnourished," said WFP Laos Representative Christa Raeder.
"For some ethnic groups, the level of chronic malnutrition is
even higher," said Raeder in a statement made available in
Bangkok.

The WFP study, the first of its kind conducted in the Lao
People's Democratic Republic (PDR), found that 13 per cent of
rural households, or approximately 84,000 households, were
"food insecure" at post-harvest time, and 50 per cent of rural
households (330,000 households) were at risk of becoming food
insecure.

The survey indicated 50 per cent malnutrition among children
in rural areas, or approximately 255,000 chronically
malnourished children in Laos today.

Food insecurity is especially critical in the northern
provinces of Bokeo and Xiengkhuang, and in Saravane and Sekong
provinces in the south, where the highest levels of chronic
malnutrition was among ethnic minority groups.

Laos is a land-locked country half the size of France with a
population of 6.5 million people.

Much of the country is mountainous and inaccessible by road.

The majority of people in rural Laos, especially in the
highlands, still depend on natural resources for their
livelihoods and nutrition and wild game, including fish, which
still make up the bulk of protein and fat consumption, said
the WFP.

Laos, one of Asia's poorest countries which has been under
communist rule since 1975, has had a poor record in providing
food, education and health services to its remote rural areas,
especially the highlands where most ethnic minorities reside.

Much of the government's budget is financed by foreign aid.

"The Government of Lao PDR and the donor community should give
the highest priority to addressing child malnutrition as a
critical aspect of national development," said Raeder. (dpa)

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