‘None of my girls is malnourished anymore’

“There were so many things I did wrong with my first child that only at the Health Club did I realize”, admitted young mom Dien, 24, in Khan Thuong village, Ba Khan commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.

Dien’s first child was born in 2011 when she was 19 years old. Married young at 18 to a friend of her bother, Dien was both excited and worried when she got pregnant the first time.

“All knowledge I had about taking care of myself and my child was passed to me from my old grandmother. I did try to work less and eat more, but it wasn’t enough. Feeding a baby was even more difficult when we were so poor”, recalled Dien.

Hanh, the first child, was breastfed for 5 months, then fed with rice water, no meat or vegetable because her mother neither had knowledge about child nutrition nor was able to afford good food.

“When Hanh refused to eat, I tried to forced feed her to the fill. I didn’t know that I could break down the meals. Or when she got sick, I always brought her to the health station because I did not know how to handle at home”, told Dien.

Hanh was malnourished for a long time until her mother heard about the Health Club by World Vision’s Mai Chau ADP in the village in 2014. Other mothers in the club shared similar concern. 13 out of total 31 children were malnourished at that time.

Dien was among the first members of the club. She learned a lot about child care as well as mother care for her second pregnancy.

“I took much better care of myself and my fetus. I ate more nutrients, worked gently and take proper rest. I also went for antenatal checks every three month, which I didn’t know in the previous pregnancy", told Dien.

Ngoc Han was born and raised without malnutrition

Baby Ngoc Han was born at 2.8kg and raising her was not any easier than her older sister, entire breastfeeding had to stop at 4th month due to the lack of mother’s milk. But this time, Dien pays closer attention to the weaning.

She frequently changes the food processing for the baby with meat, beans, sometimes crab, fish and shrimp caught in the field, vegetables from the garden, eggs from the chickens.

“I am also aware that the baby shouldn’t be fed with salt before 1 year old”, shared Dien about an important knowledge she gained at the club.

Thankfully, Ngoc Han has been growing healthily since birth, now weighing nearly 8kg at 11 months old. Her sister Hanh, now 5, has also escaped malnutrition recently. Their mom is happier than ever.

“I and my husband agree to stop at 2 kids to raise well, girls are as good as boys”, shared Dien. The couple also built a new hygienic latrine, as instructed by World Vision Vietnam, to secure the whole family’s health.

Apart from 2-3 months staying at home after giving birth to Ngoc Han, Dien has been trying not to skip one meeting of the club she joins with 33 other mothers.

“The Health Club is a group of friends who trust each other, not afraid of talking and sharing, not only about raising kids but also about life. The meetings are relaxing and a break away from my normal routine”, said Dien.

The club is also an interest group of mothers herding chickens. Like others, Dien was initially supported with 50 chicks.

Raising them for eggs and meat for the kids and selling them for money to pay school fees, she also gradually expands the herd. “Get them vaccinated and always keep half of the brood for reproduction”, emphasized Dien what she learned from the club.

With this initiative to help tackle the financial insecurity faced by many mothers, World Vision Vietnam hopes to support more effectively the goal of no child malnutrition.

The good news is among Khan Thuong Health Club, malnourished children have been reduced from 13 in 2014 to 7 now. But the target is zero.

Le Thi Mung – Development facilitator,  Mai Chau ADP