Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) - Bangladesh has the highest rate of malnourished children under 5 : 48%, according to a recent UNICEF report. It is also the most densely populated country in southern Asia with maximum concentration of people in outer districts of cities like Dhaka, the capital with a population of 10 million mainly living in slums without water, sanitation or healthcare.
The most effected category are children under 5 often left alone or in the care of older children by working parents. This affects and reduces food intake, growth and weight and lowers disease resistance and learning capacity.
NGO INTERVIDA works to improve children’s living conditions in third world countries. In 2001 in Dhaka it opened its first school equipped with feeding and health care centre.
Today INTERVIDA has 13 such centres in and around Dhaka which care for 3,170 pupils and assist 2,000 families. In 2002 INTERVIDA opened its first Day Care Centre for children aged 2 - 5, and today it has 3 of these centres which offer ongoing healthcare and distribution of anti-parasite medicines, food integrators, vaccines against hepatitis B and typhoid, dental and eye care. The Centre also makes regular home visits to control sanitary conditions and provide treatment not requiring hospital care. The Centre also provides school material from exercise books to uniform, organises games to develop creativity, teach them to live in harmony with other children and how to face daily situations of danger, traffic, recognise dangerous animals. (AP) (3/7/2006 Agenzia Fides; Righe:37; Parole: 476)
