"Living well with HIV/AIDS" (7)
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I am glad you agree with me. If you imagine you are living on 1 US $
a day and somebody is mentioning a menu with chicken stew you just
can't believe it. I have seen cases where food has been provided in a
feeding program but could not be taken because the recipients could
not access firewood to cook. Africa's health problems cannot be
solved by well written guidelines
Just to add on what you have said I can quote personal experience. I
once participated in a feeding programme (through a local NGO) for
rehabilitating children admitted to a paediatric ward with marasmus/
kwashiorkor (1993-1996). This was somewhere on the Kenyan coast.
They were being provided with an adequate supply of food ingredients
well calculated to meet nutritional requirements. However on dis-
charge follow up we realised there was no improvement in nutritional
status. Indeed many children had to be re-admitted again. We later
realised that some of the foods we provided were sold to raise money
for transport back home while some was exchanged for firewood to cook
the remainder. Less than half was used for the intended purposes. The
situation in Africa needs much more than guidelines. Poverty has to
be addressed.
Dr Isiah Mwangi
mailto:imwangi@kilifi.mimcom.net
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