Millions of children, adolescents and mothers in Bangladesh are victims of malnutrition.

Malnutrition can be chronic due to the effects of inadequate services and repeated infections, as well as not getting enough nutrients from vegetables, fruits and proteins such as eggs, fish, meat and pulses. It can predispose people to disabilities by stunting growth and development. This condition is known as "Kharvkaya". Malnutrition can cause many to become extremely thin, known as "emaciation". On the other hand, there is malnutrition, overweight and obesity. It is increasingly disrupting the lives of children and adolescents.

In Bangladesh, 28 percent of children under 5 suffer from stunting and 10 percent from stunting. Children who are malnourished have lower immune systems and are more prone to contracting other diseases. They often suffer from concentration problems and cannot focus much on anything. Consequently, their education suffers.

Some children are at greater risk of malnutrition than others. Children born in urban slums, poor families and uneducated mothers are more likely to be stunted and stunted.In Bangladesh, 51 percent of women and girls are married before the age of 18. High rates of child marriage significantly increase the chance of pregnancy before adulthood. Premature pregnancies often lead to low birth weight babies. This rate is still more than 15 percent in Bangladesh.

Breastfeeding is recommended for newborns within the first hour of birth. However, the rate of breastfeeding of newborns within the first hour of birth in Bangladesh is only 47 percent. Only 63 percent of children under six months drink exclusively breast milk. In addition, only 28 percent of children above six months of age receive adequate nutrition. Families are either very poor or ignorant and do not know how to feed their children healthy food. A combination of low birth weight and inadequate nutritional habits of infants and young children increases the risk of children growing up stunted and stunted.

Malnutrition is still considered a public health problem in young children and pregnant mothers. Prevention of maternal anemia is crucial for the health and nutrition of mothers and their babies. Yet less than two percent of pregnant adolescents in Bangladesh take iron and folic acid tablets to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Improved nutrition is one of the cornerstones of economic development. Chronic diseases disrupt the 'gray matter infrastructure' or brain development needed to build the nation's future and the structure of the economy. If invested in this, it helps human development throughout life, increases mental and productive capacity,

What Can We do for Health & Nutrition

HANDS self-initiated and self-financed awareness raising campaigns with the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen monitoring, adequate counseling and nutritional supplementation to increase the quality and extent of nutrition services for improved care of pregnant and lactating mothers, newborns, young children and adolescents. remains We follow up with all who participate in the campaign and use various social media to further increase awareness.