04 March 2022

How to raise a healthy eater

Good food and nutrition are the foundation of children’s health and bring benefits that can last a lifetime. Teaching your child about healthy eating from a young age will help them to have a positive relationship with food well into adulthood. And believe it or not, shaping these habits can be fun and healthy – not just for your child, but your…, 1. Promote positive habits, Your little ones watch everything you do – including at mealtime. You can be a good role model by reaching for healthy foods, beverages and snacks yourself, and engaging in fun physical activity. Choosing to put healthy, whole foods on the table sets a great example for your child. Try including your children in food shopping and preparation. They…, 2. Maintain a healthy relationship with food, Having a healthy mindset around eating is key for lifelong health and protecting against illnesses like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. You can help guide your young child by: Helping them understand whether they are physically hungry. This will help them to become in tune with their body’s needs. Staying away from using food as a reward or…, 3. Let go of “clean your plate!”, Although you might think this could help your child get the nutrients needed from food, these behaviours can lead to disliking foods and having negative associations with mealtime. If you can’t get your child to eat their veggies, try to have them see you eating and enjoying them yourself. Your little one learns about food choices from you, so try…, 4. Make portion control a priority, Oversized portions can lead to weight gain, so it is important to teach your children about how much food they should have on their plate. An easy way to teach your child about child-portion sizes is to use visuals for example: A closed fist is recommended for a portion of pasta, rice or cereal. A meat portion should be about as big as their palm…, 5. Start the day with a healthy breakfast, Mornings can be a rush for many families, but starting the day with a balanced meal helps your child get the important nutrients – such as calcium and fibre – needed for their growth and development. Try to create breakfasts with nutrient-dense ingredients like plain yoghurt and fresh fruit instead of sweetened cereals or pastries, which tend to…, 6. Make activity fun, Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Why not join in the fun? Try to plan family activities that get everyone moving such as after-dinner walks or swimming. And be spontaneous when you see an opportunity, like dancing together when a favourite song comes on the radio. It is also important to encourage your child to limit…
11 August 2021

South-South Cooperation for Children in Practice

COVID-19 icon Support maternal and newborn health icon Emergency humanitarian assistance icon ECD icon Knowledge exchange icon, COVID-19 and Desert Locust Response: 2020-2021, A girl eats Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF), as part of treatment for malnutrition at the Mama Mwilu Health Centre, Kananga, Kasai-Occidental province, Democratic Republic of the Congo., Mitigation of Nutritional Consequences of COVID-19 and Desert Locust in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan, In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more than 4 million children and women were at risk of acute malnutrition in 2020. The situation is exacerbated by longstanding food insecurity and militia violence. The country is also facing multiple deadly epidemics including measles, Ebola and cholera. In South Sudan, 1.3 million children under 5…, Fighting COVID-19 by Providing Health and Nutrition Services to Women and Children in Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Senegal: 2020-2021, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia and Senegal vary in terms of social and economic development, but they share many conditions and difficulties, including high under-five mortality rates, poor nutrition results, and insufficient access to maternal, newborn and child health services. In Cameroon, 25 per cent of under-five deaths occur during the neonatal…, Maternal and Newborn Child Health Support, Community health worker, Tambudzai Vumisai, checks a five-month-old boy, Prosper Maidle, for signs of malnutrition in Nyahode, Zimbabwe., Projects to Improve Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Eight African Countries: 2020, UNICEF is working with government partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Zimbabwe, with support from the China International Development Agency (CIDCA) and the International Health Exchange and Cooperation Center (IHECC), National Health Commission of China. Over the past three…, Emergency Response, Projects to Provide Humanitarian Assistance for Populations Impacted by Cyclone Idai in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe: 2020, Cyclone Idai, which hit in March 2019, was the worst natural disaster in Southern Africa in nearly two decades. The cyclone affected 270,000 people and left 129,600 children in need of life-saving support. UNICEF has been running three projects to help affected people in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe recover, in partnership with CIDCA and…, Life-Saving Emergency Assistance to Girls, Boys and Women Affected by Severe Acute Malnutrition in Somalia; Assisting Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon, The humanitarian crisis in Somalia in 2017, which was triggered by the failure of consecutive rainy seasons, led to massive displacement, disease outbreaks and malnutrition. Half of the country’s population – 6.2 million people – were left in need of humanitarian assistance, some 4 million of them children. In Lebanon, Syrian refugee children and…, Early Childhood Development, Cambodian preschool children safely returned to school during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the water, sanitation and hygiene supplies provided with support from China., COVID-19 Response and Recovery for Early Childhood Development in Cambodia: 2020-2021, As COVID-19 hit Cambodia, young children, particularly those under 5 years of age and from remote and rural communities, lack understanding of personal hygiene and struggle to continue their studies under social distancing measures. Parents are under stress due to school closures and financial pressure. Community preschools, which are key to…, Early Childhood Development in the Face of COVID-19 in Myanmar: 2020-2021, As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Myanmar, children in the country, especially those under 8 years of age, are being impacted by the closure of early childhood development institutions and schools. As Myanmar’s public health system is stretched thin, medical workers are finding it difficult to care for their young children at home. Their households and…, Knowledge Exchange, Testing the use of drones in search and rescue operations, Kazakhstan., The China-Sierra Leone-UNICEF COVID-19 Pandemic Prevention and Control Knowledge Sharing and Experience Exchange Conference: August 2020, UNICEF Sierra Leone, UNICEF China, the China NGO Network for International Exchanges and representatives from civil society organizations from China and Sierra Leone took part in this event. Civil society organizations play a vital role in communicating risks and engaging with communities to help mitigate COVID-19 and create world fit for children…, Kazakhstan-China Exchange on Emergency Management and Disaster Reduction in the Best Interests of Children, UNICEF Kazakhstan, UNICEF China, the National Disaster Reduction Center of China (NDRCC), Kazakhstan’s Center for Emergency Situations and Disaster Risk Reduction (CESDRR), and Kazakhstan’s Emergency Committee took part in this event. Both China and Kazakhstan – like many countries around the world – are not spared from natural disasters that…, National Pathways to Child Poverty Reduction under the 10 th Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Africa-China Poverty Reduction and Development Conference, UNICEF, International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC), China’s State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development (LGOP), and delegates from seven African countries took part in this event. Africa’s burgeoning population (home to one billion children and more than 40 per cent of the world’s children by 2058)…