A school milk programme in the central province of Nghe An has helped cut malnutrition among children, especially those under five years-old. (Photo: VNA) Nghe An (VNA) – A school milk programme in the central province ofNghe An has helped cut malnutrition among children, especially those under fiveyears-old, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
Thanks to the programme, the malnutrition rates among pre-school children andprimary pupils were cut 2.85 percent and 2.78 percent, respectively, comparedto 2010.
The school milk programme has been implemented in all 21 cities, towns anddistricts in the province. With support from the State budget, businesses andlocal authorities, the kids receive five bottles of milk per week.
To date, nearly 312,000 children have registered for milk at kindergartens andprimary schools, 69 percent of total students in the locality.
The programme has, however, been hampered by poor infrastructure atkindergartens, with inadequate milk storage facilities and a shortage of humanresources and capital.
With the aim of 70 percent of children benefitting from the programme by 2020,the province plans to build coordination mechanisms among relevant authoritiesand prioritises supports for disabled children.
Theschool milk programme was launched nationwide on September 28, 2016. It targetsproviding all pre-school children and elementary pupils in poor districts withmilk by 2020, meeting 90-95 percent of their energy demand and increasing theheights of school boys and girls by 1.5 and 2 centimetres, respectively -VNA
VNA
