UNICEF in Action
UNICEF supports the Government and civil society in applying known and affordable strategies of food fortification (enrichment with micronutrients and vitamins) and public education to reduce micronutrient deficiency level in Kyrgyzstan.
BREASTFEEDING AND COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING PRACTICES
With UNICEF’s assistance, half of all maternity hospitals are certified as ‘Baby Friendly’. This means that the hospitals follow the ‘10 steps towards successful breastfeeding’, promoted by UNICEF and WHO. In these hospitals, the mother applies her child to the breast in the first minutes after birth. The first breast milk is vital for a child’s development and it is rich in antibodies, which protect newborn’s health. Babies stay with their mother in the ward and are fed when he/she is hungry. The hospitals educate women on the advantages of breastfeeding and how to take care of their baby. One key result of UNICEF support is the approval in 2008 of the Law on Breastfeeding and Marketing of Milk Substitutes. The law is likely to increase breastfeeding of young children, and thus reduce child mortality and morbidity.
In Talas Province, UNICEF and the Swiss Red Cross support the Ministry of Health to help improve the quality of nutrition during pregnancy, to promote exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to 6 months of age, and to teach mothers how to introduce complimentary feeding, while continuing breastfeeding up to 2 years of age. UNICEF supports primary health care providers, who work with parents and village health committees, to increase awareness of the population about good nutritional practices and early childhood stimulation.
FOOD FORTIFICATION
In 2009, the Government developed and approved the law ‘On Flour Fortification’. This law is a simple and available method to solve vitamin and micronutrient deficiencies: fortifies flour with minerals and vitamins, promotes nutrition education. UNICEF has also supported the Ministry of health to develop an effective community-based strategy for improving infant and young child nutrition and maternal nutrition through the utilization of home based fortification in Talas region. Plans are under way for national scale up. Children who eat food fortified with micronutrients and vitamins are better protected against iron deficiency, anemia and other diseases. Communication materials, including a children’s book, explain to parents, caregivers and children, why ‘Gulazyk’(a sachet with powdered minerals) is important for good health and a child’s development.
See more on Gulazyk http://www.unicef.org/kyrgyzstan/media_12696.html, http://www.unicef.org/kyrgyzstan/media_12609.html
IODINE
The most efficient way to prevent iodine deficiency and mental retardation is to ensure that all people consume iodised salt in their daily diet. With the help of UNICEF and other international organisations, Kyrgyzstan has made remarkable progress towards achieving Universal Salt Iodization. Over the last ten years, the use of iodized salt has tripled.
See stories on food fortification http://www.unicef.org/kyrgyzstan/reallives_5873.html, http://www.unicef.org/kyrgyzstan/media_7008.html
VITAMIN A
UNICEF also provides assistance to National Immunization Centre to ensure that children aged 6-59 months and mothers during the first eight weeks after delivery receive vitamin A twice a year.
