Child health: in the hands of mothers

Becoming a new mother is plunging into the unknown. You often rely on your own mother’s knowledge to raise your children.

But what if this shared knowledge is actually harmful for your children?

Kaisone, 36-years-old, learned that the way she was raised was harmful to her health. Her mother used to feed her sticky rice when she was just a few months old. She wanted to include normal food in her diet.

Her mother didn’t realize she was contributing to child malnutrition.

In Laos, malnutrition is very high among children under 5 years old. The combination of insufficient food and lack of awareness around healthy nutrition practices causes serious problems among children in Laos.

The lack of medical services available across the country adds risks to raising an unhealthy child.

Kaisone attended World Vision Health Awareness trainings in her village before giving birth twice to beautiful children. There, she learned about family planning and maternal, baby and child health. The training sessions helped her community find ways to overcome and cope with the problem of malnutrition and under nutrition of children, especially those under 5 years old.

“The activities from the training about Early Childhood Development were beneficial to the health of my children. I was able to counter malnutrition. Many mothers are interested in these trainings because they worry about their family’s health,” Kaisone said.

“In the training, we also learned about the importance of breast-feeding, hand washing before meals, using toilets, pregnancy care and ways to play with children to assist them in their development,” she adds.

The simple act of accurate knowledge sharing has allowed this mother to positively impact the well-being of the next generation and those to come.

“My 9-year-old daughter and 7-months-old son are healthy because they received proper nutrition and received vaccinations as the doctor advised,” Kaisone said.  

“Throughout my two pregnancies, I saw a doctor at the health care center. I even gave birth in a hospital!” the happy mother shares.

“Child health used to be overlooked by people in my community; I too am guilty of this.  Today, children are cleaner, healthier and better prepared for the future,” Kaison adds with a smile.