Nutrition Needs

We began the Nutrition Program in early 2008 due to the immense number of malnourished children and adults seen in Western Sumba.

It’s estimated that more than half of the Sumbanese children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition and anemia caused by a poor diet. Anemia is debilitating for children. A mild case can impair intellectual development, lowering a child’s IQ by 10 to 15 points.

Stunted growth is also a massive problem in rural Sumba, and we find as many as 70 percent of school children are below the normal average height and weight for their age.

Signs of undernourished and malnourished children are visible everywhere in Western Sumba, due to problems in the local diet and availability of food.

There is just not enough food for everyone, and the standard local meals are low in calories, protein, and micronutrients. To fight malnutrition, our nutrition program has three parts: school lunches, infant nutrition, and helping farmers.