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BMLS II

February 4, 2014
Learning on an empty stomach

MANILA, Philippines More than half a million or 534,054 Filipino

schoolchildren are severely wasted, according to 2012-2013 figures of the
Department of Education (DepEd). Wasted means they are thin for their
height.
The World Food Programme (WFP) defines "wasting" as a recent and severe
process that leads to substantial weight loss, associated with starvation. It
is a symptom of acute under nutrition that impairs the immune system
increasing the childs susceptibility to infectious diseases and death.
A decline in childrens nutritional status signals an eventual decline in their
academic performance.
This is dismaying since these students will someday grow up to become the
backbone of Philippine society. They will be our nations future decisionmakers, leaders, and producers.
If their minds and bodies are feeble now, just imagine what the Philippines
will be in the years to come. Asias rising tiger may become a limping cub.
Hungry preschoolers, teens
The latest findings by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the
Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST) from 2011 show that
among children under 5 years old, protein-energy malnutrition was a
problem: 20.2% were underweight (thin for their age), 33.6% were stunted
(short for their age), and 7.3% were wasted (thin for their height).
This age group is crucial since this is when children are most vulnerable to
infections and diseases, while their nutritional needs are also increasing.
Physical and mental damages at this point will be irreversible.
This period is a "window of opportunity for nutrition intervention," according
to FNRI-DOST.
Meanwhile, among 5-10-year-olds, 32% were underweight, 33.6% were
stunted, and 8.5% were wasted. Among 10-19-year-olds, 35.7% were stunted
and 12.7% were wasted.

These figures barely changed since the 2008 survey. FNRI-DOST warned that
under nutrition continues to be a public health problem among Filipino
children.
The Philippines is the 9th country in the world with the most number of
stunted children, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Stunting results from long-term nutritional deprivation. It is manifested not
only in shortness-for-age, but also in delayed mental development, poor
school performance, and reduced intellectual capacity.
Meanwhile, the most recent Global School-based Health Survey by the World
Health Organization (WHO) from 2011 reported that 11.8% of surveyed
Filipino students aged 13-15 years old were underweight.
Hunger disregards the age of its victims; both kindergartners and teenagers
can fall prey.
Hungry body, hungry mind
A students life can be exhilarating, but also exhausting physically and
mentally. What does under nutrition do to these young minds and bodies?
Hunger, a preventable yet persisting problem, hinders children from
achieving their full potential.
UNICEF says that even short-term hunger can adversely affect a childs
ability to learn.
Under nutrition makes a child more vulnerable to diseases, disabilities, and
death. It also disrupts a childs mental and physical development which
may lead to poor productivity in adulthood.
Concentration, critical thinking, creativity, and even their social abilities may
be negatively affected. Instead of focusing on class activities, they may also
be too distracted by pangs of hunger.
Micronutrient deficiencies impair physical and cognitive development, lower
intellectual capacity, and lessen productivity. Vitamin A deficiency may cause
blindness, while iodine or iron deficiencies reduce a childs IQ, cognitive and
motor skills.
UNICEF also warns that worm infestation causes anemia and poor growth
development.

Some students who do not have enough money for food attend classes with
an empty stomach or choose junk food as an alternative. Their parents are
unable to feed them nutritious meals due to lack of resources or information
regarding healthy and affordable meal preparations.
Poor school performance
The 2012 results of the National Achievement Test (NAT) revealed that the
Mean Percentage Score (MPS) of Grade 3 pupils in the country was 56.98%.
This is lower than the 2011 results (59.58%) and the 2007 initial results
(57.42%). English, Math, and Science scores dropped slightly.
Among 6th graders, MPS was 66.79%. This is slightly lower than the 2011 NAT
Results (68.14%), but higher than the 2006 initial results (59.94%). There
was also an increase in the scores in all subjects from 2006 to 2012.
Among high school seniors, MPS was 48.90% which is classified as lower
average; however, this is still slightly higher than the 2005 initial results
(46.80%).
Poor nutrition, however, is not the sole reason behind these test scores.
These numbers paint an even bigger picture of Philippine education,
assessing not only the performance of students, but also of parents,
educators, and the government.
Childrens nutrition as an investment
Investment on childrens nutrition begins at home.
Parents are expected to provide the basic needs of their children, including
clean, sufficient, and nutritious food.
But this investment does not end at home; the government must also
educate and support its people, especially the poor who are most vulnerable
to hunger.
UNICEF says that well-nourished children perform better in school, grow into
healthier adults and are able to give their own children a better start in life.
In the long run, investing in children's nutrition will benefit the country's
economy and future generation. When populations are well nourished,
higher individual productivity, lower health care costs and greater economic
output will ensue,UNICEFsays.
Go, Grow, Glow

The National Nutrition Council (NNC) emphasizes the role of good nutrition in
child development.
NNC advises children to eat a variety of nutritious meals everyday including
go (for energy), grow (for tissue and muscle development), and glow foods
(for body regulation and protection).
Other reminders include:

Do not skip meals, especially breakfast

Avoid foods high in salt, fat, or sugar

Parents can prepare nutritious baon for their kids (i.e., boiled banana,
cassava, sweet potato, corn, peanuts, fresh fruits, sandwiches, milk,
fresh fruit juices)

Always check food labels for nutritional content

Encourage children to engage in physical and creative activities

Eat and sleep on time

Vicious cycle
WFP sees the poverty trap as one of the leading causes of hunger. Families
living in extreme poverty cannot afford nutritious meals; hence
compromising their health which then limits their opportunities for school,
skills training, and work.
When these problems persist, families are condemned to a life of hunger
and poverty. These malnourished children may grow up to become
unhealthy parents, repeating the same cycle.
The Philippines is the 5th country in the world with the most school drop-outs,
next to India, Ethiopia, Pakistan, and Nigeria, according to a 2013 report by
the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
Some students with problems in their studies, finances, health, or families
tend to quit school.
Meanwhile, some parents opt to not send their children to school, fearing the
financial burdens of education tuition and other school fees, allowance,
food, daily transportation, books, uniforms, school supplies, and projects.

Instead of studying, some children choose or are forced to work to augment

their family income, while also risking their health and wellbeing.
Unfortunately, some of them also fall into a life of vice or crime.
Not only are these children giving up education, they are also giving up their
childhood and their future.
http://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/hunger/49193-learning-emptystomach

REACTION PAPER:
Upon reading the article, I was surprised to learn that the Philippines have
a high number of wasted, or let us say, malnourished children, because
every time I go out of the house, I see healthy people, I mean THAT HEALTHY
PEOPLE, and also those people who do not empty their plates when eating
OUTSIDE, if you know what I mean. Also the media, most of the time, claims
that the problem with our country is obesity, so I also thought maybe that is
really our problem. It is very alarming, indeed, to learn that many are
starving, especially for the children who, at their age, need proper
nourishment for them to be able to learn well at school. I think that maybe
because many people think too much about how to get thin, they do not
have time to think of the many children who cannot even afford to buy food
for their hungry stomachs.
I am very disappointed that the problem of starvation is far more than
what I expected, because our country is rich in many resources, but how
come many cannot eat? How come nothing is being done about it? Yes, there
may be plenty of measures that are being done to combat this catastrophe,
but how come they are not enough? Why are there still plenty of children
starving, skipping meals, eating only once a day or even not at all? These are
questions that come to my mind.

It is also very disappointing to read that starvation has also reached

school. Starvation can really affect learning, because instead of
concentrating on the subject, you are concentrating on how to fill your
stomach. School life is very tiring, especially if you have so much to do, so if
you are always hungry, you dont have the energy to perform well at school
leading to poor academic performance. Yes, poverty may be the reason for
not being able to sustain the childs needs, but it should not be the reason to
compromise his health. I think there should be at least a little money for the
child to use to buy his snack. Even if its 20 pesos, that is enough to buy
something healthy, like banana cue. But how come parents cannot give
anything? For me, that is really impossible. Maybe in very rare cases yes,
nothing can be given, but for something to be regularly done to the point
that the child needs to drop out of school to work for their living is something
that I find absurd.
In my opinion, there is really a chance that we could eradicate this hunger
games, but I think the reason behind why this problem has lingered for so
long now is that no one pays attention - paying attention to the programs
implemented by the government, and paying attention to what the real
problems are. There may be programs but these programs have a different
purpose, only a few have something to do with the hunger problems. Or if
there are programs implemented, no one pays attention, because they think
that it is only a waste of time. Maybe if the people concerned will just share
even a single moment to each other, then at least there will be something
done about it.