Speakers urge govt to invest more for children, mothers\\\' nutrition

Speakers at a programme called upon the government Tuesday to invest more for children and mothers' nutrition through their different safety net programmes.
They also noted that the investment in safety net programmes by the Bangladesh government is still quite low whereas very few nutrition programmes focus on cognitive development of children that is the basic of nutrition.
They suggested re-prioritisation of expenditure on nutrition in safety net programmes that hold more promise in terms of arresting inter-generational transmission of poverty and improving the nutrition situation of the country.
They made the suggestions at a seminar and presentation of process and impact findings on 'Which Kinds of Social Safety Net Transfers Work Best for the Rural Poor' at a city hotel.
The research was jointly conducted by World Food Programme (WFP) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Chaired by Roxana Quader, additional secretary of health ministry (public health and World Health Orgsniation), the research findings were presented by IFPRI chief of party Akhter Ahmed, and Cornell University professor of Food and Nutrition Economics and Policy John Hoddinott at the technical session.
The study was supported and guided by Bangladesh government, and funded by Switzerland, Germany, UNDP, UK department for international development through its Transform Nutrition research programme and the USA.
The two-year study showed cash transfer programmes have the best impact when those are combined with nutrition education. In the northwest of Bangladesh, the formula had significant improvement in children's nutrition, with a 7.3 per cent decrease in stunting.
In Bangladesh, US$ 3.9 billion or about 12 per cent of the government budget has been allocated for social safety net programmes for the FY year 2015.
In the concluding session, World Bank lead economist of social protection team Iffath Anwar Sharif said nutrition is not important because it is a human development outcome, but it is an important outcome in ensuring that children are actually maximizing their full brain development.
So it's not important to focus nutrition only but it is equally important to focus on child cognitive development which occurs in the first few years of life, she said.
"Poverty impairs the executive functions of the brain and limits the child's ability to do well in school," she added.
Ms Iffath said any country wanting a healthy economy with a long term sustainability needs to have supply of skilled labourers and to ensure that children need to be raised in households that offer them to maximize their brain capacity.
"I think when it comes to investing in human development programmes that promote both nutrition and cognitive child development should be a priority for any government," she said.
She suggested re-prioritisation of government expenditure in such safety net programmes that will arrest intergenerational transmission of poverty.
In his comment, power and participation research centre (PPRC) executive chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman said the reason for focusing on nutrition is a much talked one and well established. Now it is time to translate the focus on nutrition into achievement.
Referring to the Urban Health Survey 2013, Mr Rahman said wasting has increased between the year 2006 and 2013.
He suggested that behavioural change strategy has to address the community as a whole.
Alive and Thrive country director Dr Zeba Mahmud said if there is no positive behavioural change in the community as a whole, no programme will be sustainable.
She noted only knowledge transfer is not enough and stressed on interaction between the target groups and those who conduct any programme.   
Akhter Ahmed said undernutrition is still a major challenge in Bangladesh with serious consequences on health and economy, costing more than one billion dollar in lost productivity every year.
"Given that 36 per cent of all children under five remain stunted, it is essential to design safety nets wisely," he said.
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