Have you heard of the first 1,000 days?
Good nutrition during the 1,000-day period between the start of a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday is critical to the future health, wellbeing and success of her child. In essence, a child’s future can be determined years before they even reach their fifth birthday. Millions of children globally do not have the opportunity to reach their full potential due to irreversible damage to bodies and minds during the time when both are developing, the physical and mental effects of poor nutrition in the earliest months of life. Undernutrition is an underlying killer of children due to poor nutrition which weakens immune systems.
For mothers malnutrition means less strength and energy for the vitally important activities of daily life. It also means increased risk of death or giving birth to a pre-term, underweight or malnourished infant. As we work towards ending hunger, food deserts through improving the agricultural sector, let us not forget pregnant mothers and new born babies. Children and nations futures are determined by the quality of nutrition in the first 1,000 days
