Re: [pronut-hiv] Supplementation for moderately malnourished HIV-infected children (5)

["Lungi Lumumba Okoko" <lungi.okoko@gmail.com>]

Dear all,

Why not not use local food and knowledge to rehabilitate moderately
malnourished children, instead of using food aid (in the form of PlumpyNut
and others)?

What happens when PlumpyNut or whey protein is no longer available to the
community? How will they rehabilitate malnourished children if they have
been taught to think that external food is the cure?

In my opinion, using behavior change approaches, such as the positive
deviance/hearth approach would be more sustainable. Even with HIV infected
children, some mothers (or caregivers) engage in behaviors and practices
that result in good nutritional outcome for child succeed. Why not use the
positively deviant caregivers as models to teach mothers of moderately
malnourished children new locally acceptable and affordable practices in
terms of feeding, care, and hygiene?

For more on positive deviance visit: http://www.positivedeviance.org/

-Lungi


------ George Carter  wrote:
>
> Geoffrey - wow!! The dreadful thing to many outside Africa is the
> notion that Plumpynut sounds like the better than abject starvation
> so many face--but you are absolutely correct. And a high fat
> intervention for people with HIV can be problematic with all the
> attendant gut problems (let alone high sugar feeding candida).
>
> Which brings me back to the notion of a fortified whey protein (or
> some such protein source). What I think we know is needed is high
> protein and micronutrient repletion. At least from a nutritional
> standpoint - let alone the need for things like gardens, fresh
> vegetables, reinvigoration of older farming techniques that use
> forests and don't burn them for corn for diesel.
>
> We need a lot in this world but we're not going to ever get it in
> Africa. What do African kids want? What do their (still living)
> parents and guardians need?
>
> I think Plumpynut does remain a bit better than nothing. Hey--in the West
> you can make garbage like that and sell it for an outrageous price--you
> don't get  shot. You get rewarded!
>
> George M. Carter
>
>