Strong and healthy Khant

Khant, a 22-month-old boy is healthy and growing strong. His mother, 28-year-old Nyo, participated in World Vision’s Maternal, Child Health and Nutrition Programme while having pregnant of Khant.

Nyo did not take proper antenatal care and had not eaten nutritious food when she got pregnant with her first two children. In addition, they did not receive exclusive breastfeeding, proper complementary feeding and complete immunization. Hence, they were not as healthy as Khant.

"Only when World Vision started working in our community, I got to learn about the importance of maternal and child health and nutrition."

“I had never heard about importance of antenatal and postnatal care for mothers when I was expecting my first 2 children. I did not understand the importance of immunizations and nutrition as well. Only when World Vision started working in our community, I got to learn about the importance of maternal and child health and nutrition,” says Nyo.

Plots of rubber plantations surrounded Nyo’s village. She lives with her family in a small village in Palaw Township, Thannitharyi Region, the southern-most part of Myanmar.

Most of the families in the village work on odd jobs in rubber and betel plantations to earn money. Nyo also works as a casual labourer in a rubber plantation while her husband works at a car workshop as a mechanic.    

World Vision Myanmar initiated maternal, child health and nutrition programme for pregnant women, lactating mothers, and mothers of under-five children in Nyo’s village since 2014.

“Since then, I got a chance to attend maternal, child health and nutrition awareness sessions conducted by World Vision. The community health volunteers also supported me to go to Sub-Rural Health Center to receive iron tablets and tetanus vaccination,” shares Nyo.

“I realized that I was not eating properly while I was expecting my first two children. But as for my third child, I ate nutritious foods and practiced what I have learned from the sessions so that there was no problems during delivery,” Nyo adds. 

“I fed Khant only my breast milk until he was 6 months old. He got all the vaccinations that a child should get too. He is healthier than my other children,” says Nyo.

“I also shared these experiences to other mothers and now the behaviours of mothers in my community have been improved. They are starting to provide exclusive breastfeeding to their children” she adds.

Now, with World Vision Myanmar’s supports, the community has learned the importance of maternal, newborn and child health as well as nutrition of pregnant mothers and children.