KIGOMA, Tanzania: Doctors warned on the weekend of World Hunger Day, May 28, that rural areas of Tanzania are coping with a hidden hunger crisis among young people and children owing to nutritional deficits and a lack of public awareness.
“Many of the children in rural regions are suffering from hidden hunger,” said Simeon Francis, a paediatrician in the village of Manyovu in Kigoma, northwestern Tanzania. “They’re more exposed due to a lack of micronutrients in the meals they consume, as families struggle to put healthy meals on the dinner tables.”
Hidden hunger, a type of malnutrition caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet, weakens the immune system, slows children’s physical and mental development, and can even lead to death, stated Francis.
According to him, the problem not only affects rural families’ well-being but also places a significant economic burden on society owing to reduced productivity and extreme poverty.
“Hidden hunger goes hand in hand with other forms of malnutrition. It’s hard to deal with it separately,” he told Anadolu Agency.
The lack of food and micronutrient deficiency has created a huge burden on most rural families in Kigoma, as people lack diets rich in important minerals and vitamins for growth, say, experts.
Although the number of children suffering from chronic malnutrition has decreased in Tanzania, doubts continue as most of them are still suffering from hidden hunger— the worst form of malnutrition.
According to UNICEF data from 2015, over 2.7 million Tanzanian children under the age of five were stunted, and over 600,000 were from acute malnutrition, including 100,000Uni severe cases.
“Nutrition is vital for children’s development. Parents must ensure that their children are fed nutritious meals, particularly during the first 1,000 days of their lives, he added.
Parents in Buhigwe, Tanzania, frequently wait months before naming their children because the infants often survive long enough to need a name.