Cuba: Only Country in Latin America without Undernourished Children, UNICEF Confirms
The last report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) entitled Progress for Children: A Report Card on Nutrition, established that there are 146 millions children under the age of five with serious problems of under nutrition. According to this report, 28 percent of these children live in Africa, 17 percent in the Middle East, 15 percent in Asia, 7 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 5 percent in Europe and 27 percent in developing countries.
Cuba, however, does not have those problems, being the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean that has eliminated children under nutrition. Cuba’s achievement is owed to the government efforts to reinforce the alimentation of the most vulnerable groups. Another UN organization, the Agriculture and Food Organization, has also acknowledged Cuba as the country that has made the most progress in the struggle against malnourishment in Latin America.
The Cuban State guarantees a food basic basket and promotes the benefits of breastfeeding among new mothers. Newborns are exclusively breastfed is until the fourth month and that is complemented with other foods until the sixth month. In addition, every child between the age of zero and seven years old are given a litre of milk every day. Other foods equally distributed among children are fruit compote, juices and vegetables.
All these efforts have placed Cuba among the top countries in the fulfilment of human development according to the United Nations.
And Cuba has attained all this despite the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States during the last 50 years.
Cuba, however, does not have those problems, being the only country in Latin America and the Caribbean that has eliminated children under nutrition. Cuba’s achievement is owed to the government efforts to reinforce the alimentation of the most vulnerable groups. Another UN organization, the Agriculture and Food Organization, has also acknowledged Cuba as the country that has made the most progress in the struggle against malnourishment in Latin America.
The Cuban State guarantees a food basic basket and promotes the benefits of breastfeeding among new mothers. Newborns are exclusively breastfed is until the fourth month and that is complemented with other foods until the sixth month. In addition, every child between the age of zero and seven years old are given a litre of milk every day. Other foods equally distributed among children are fruit compote, juices and vegetables.
All these efforts have placed Cuba among the top countries in the fulfilment of human development according to the United Nations.
And Cuba has attained all this despite the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States during the last 50 years.
Source:
Granma Internacional
Date:
23/09/2011