Roots of Stunted Growth

It is critical to receive the proper nutrition during the first two years of a child's life in order to become healthy.  This is a major struggle in the Sidama region of Ethiopia, which is why nearly 40% of children there are suffering from stunted growth. There appear to be two primary reasons as to why this figure is so high in this region.

Firstly, mothers are having babies at far too young ages.  The average age of women (or, girls I should say) having their first baby in the Sidama region lies somewhere in the range of 12 to 15 years of age.  This is far too young for a girl to be having another body inside of her; it's impossible to give the growing baby all of the proper nutrients it needs.

Secondly, babies often suffer from malnutrition during the first two years of their life.  According to the PanAfrican Medical Journal, approximately 14.4% of mothers feed their babies optimally in the Sidama region.  Obviously, there are not enough food resources available to these trying mothers, which begs the question: why have a baby you can't support?

Instead, these young mothers should be in school getting a proper education rather than struggling to raise a child, a message we hope to effectively communicate through our program.