WELLNESS WEDNESDAYS: Teaching Parents

“Like many young doctors, I had received virtually no instruction in nutrition.  Then, as now, medical schools focused almost exclusively on drugs and surgery, even though lifestyle causes most cases of heart disease and other chronic disabling condition.  In retrospect, my lack of formal knowledge of nutrition was a blessing in disguise.”      --David Ludwig, MD, PhD, from Always Hungry?

If doctors receive no training about nutrition in medical school, 

then is it any wonder that parents receive no training?  Since parents are responsible for foods purchased for their children, how do they learn about the good foods that children need for strong bodies and healthy minds?  If advertisers have their way, the only thing parents need to buy are the foods placed intentionally at eye level in grocery stores.  With every advertising dollar spent, they are telling parents, “Don’t worry about those highly processed foods, all those food dyes, and all the added sugars, fats, and salts.  Just buy what we tell you to buy.” 

We did that and now we have a childhood obesity epidemic on our hands.  According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 17% (or 12.7 million) of children and adolescents aged 2-19 years are obese. 

Babies are being born to obese mothers.  According to Dr. Ludwig, “excessive weight in one generation may predispose the next for higher lifetime risk of obesity, apart from genetic inheritance and the tendency of offspring to pick up their parents’ lifestyle habits.”*  We have a responsibility to America’s next generation to teach teenagers and young adults about the importance of getting to, and staying at, a healthy weight before they become pregnant. 

Here are 3 tips for parents (and parents-to-be):

1.  Read food labels:

• Count the number of ingredients.  If there are more than 5 or 8 ingredients, choose something else. 
• If you can’t pronounce the ingredients, they are not good for you.  
• If food dyes are listed in the ingredients, don’t buy it. 
• When buying breads and pastas, choose products with the word "whole" as part of the first ingredient (as in "whole grain oats") and with 4 or more grams of dietary fiber per serving (this is known as "The Nancy Rule").  

2.  Plan your meals around what vegetables are in season and locally grown, whenever possible. 

3.  Go for walks after dinner with your children.  This habit will help improve digestion, lower insulin and blood sugar levels, and promote a better night’s sleep.  

Please pass the butternut squash!

In gratitude,

Nancy Heinrich

Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.

*Ludwig DS, Currie J.  The association between pregnancy weight gain and birthweight: a within-family comparison.  Lancet 2010; 376 (9745): 9840990; Ludwig DS, Rouse HL, Currie J.  Pregnancy weight gain and childhood body weight: a within-family comparison.  PLoS Medicine 2013; 10 (10): ed1001521.

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Joy of being in the field daily...

Hello Nhaka Friends,

My name is Glenda Takavadii and I work as a Senior Program Officer at Nhaka Foundation. My work is to primarily ensure that our programs are all being implemented according to the agreed plans and timelines.This means that I get to spend a lot of time in the field and I absolutely love it! I am one of those people who easily get bored with monotonous work, so I am thankful that in my work, every day is different from the one before. I plan my work a week in advance and am always guided by the overall Nhaka Program Implementation plan. I mostly enjoy being in the field because the team and I get to implement the programs, converse with communities and see the impact the programs we deliver are making on the ground.

The programs we implement at Nhaka Foundation bring in a lot of value into the meaning of life. Being in the field working alongside poor communities is not for the faint hearted because anything and everything can happen anytime and you have to be proactive, responsive and be sensitive to communities. The roads we use to reach the communities are nothing short of prominent gullies and craters that are on dirt roads. A journey that is supposed to take 30 minutes can easily take twice or thrice as much time due to the effects of gully erosion, non maintenance and the like. The scenery however compensates for the bad roads.  The views are breath taking and sometimes you can temporarily forget about the troubles of the world. 

I remember that on my first field visit at Nhaka Foundation our truck decided to sever the power steering cable just after we had left the city and turning back was not an option for the determined duo. Truth be told I also didn’t want my boss to think I had failed on my first field visit ;). My job also involves field research which entails assessments of the schools and communities we serve, looking at their current needs, their ability to respond and areas in which the team may come in to assist. Some of the schools we work with are in the most vulnerable and poor rural communities. The difficult part about my job, I would say, is keeping my emotions in-check, even when the situation on the ground is dire and you have no idea where the funding will come from to assist or be part of creating a solution together with the communities.

At the end of the day knowing that our programs and collective work with the help from our partners and the high involvement and participation of the guardians and caregivers of children, makes it all worth it. 

Best wishes,

Glenda

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news Ellen Pompeo Defends grey's Anatomy's trendy attack on Meredith
If after remaining night's frightening assault on grey's Anatomy, you are involved that the tragedies that usually befall Meredith gray are starting to frame on the incredible, Ellen Pompeo has something she'd like to mention to you.
speaking with the display's government manufacturer Betsy Beers on her podcast Shondaland discovered, Pompeo provided up an interesting protection for the percentages-defying amount of calamity it's made it's manner to her negative person. "You don't suppose you will should give you 12 years of devastating things occurring to at least one character," she admitted. "but, I observe the news each day and read newspapers on-line, and those have had a few pretty unfortunate collection of events happen to them in life. matters that you in no way think would appear. people being at two specific mass shootings. Random, weird matters do show up. Earth is quite an interesting region. So we are able to continually droop our disbelief enough to be able to tell some story and analyze a few instructions."
click on: Why it's time to stop Torturing Meredith on gray's Anatomy

Her clarification aside, Pompeo wasn't without reservations approximately taking up any other bout of grievous damage for Meredith. "the first issue while Debbie [Allen, directing producer] instructed me they were planning this episode, I said, ‘So Meredith is going to be attacked once more? Do you watched the target audience is going to head for that? Are they going with a purpose to take care of that? Hasn't enough took place to Meredith?' and he or she said, ‘it is gonna be splendid. it is gonna be splendid. it's gonna be splendid,'" she discovered. "And, as constantly—listen, if Shonda [Rhimes] thinks something's an amazing concept, it's normally a terrific idea."
Of direction, the character they were given to helm the unique episode didn't harm. "despite the fact that  I had my reservations, i was nevertheless gung-ho to present it the entirety i have, now not having study it," she said. "Then finding out Denzel [Washington] became coming on to direct it, i used to be like, ‘Oh yeah, permit's move. sure, allow's do it.'"
So, what is subsequent for Meredith on her street to recuperation? Pompeo and Beers stayed quiet on that topic, however in a separate interview with Cosmo, the actress revealed that remedy and even relationship are in the titular document's future. "So, after the attack, she goes into remedy, that's an idea that Shonda and i mentioned. after which in remedy, she starts offevolved exploring what it way to be on my own, and [how] she's never by myself, and how by myself does she need to be?" she stated. "we are shifting closer to Meredith dating once more, so anybody has to get ready for it. i can tell you that i've shot a few scenes, even though I do not know where they're going to move, however i've shot a few scenes, and i am very glad and excited with the manner that is unfolding. it is thrilling for Meredith, and it is a few happiness, some mild. i'm hoping we get to hold going to down that direction."
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Are you hoping Meredith and Alex get collectively? hold forth within the comments under!
gray's Anatomy airs Thursdays at eight p.m. on ABC.

Education in Zimbabwe

Dear Friends,

The long term impact of the neglect of the education system cannot be under-estimated and will impede Zimbabwe's ability to revive and develop. Adult literacy rates are still estimated at over 90%, but this may plummet to 70% by 2020 if completion rate and quality do not rise or 2nd chance education programmes be offered to youth who have left the school system. Due to the macro economic pressures that are currently obtaining in the country, parents are struggling to pay fees/levies for their children in schools.  According to a new report, http://www.theafricareport.com/Southern-Africa/zimbabwes-education-sector-in-crisis.html,  the dropout rate was 43 percent higher than the previous year. Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM), meant to assist children from poor families with school fees, is failing to cope with the increasing demand. The report gives the dropout figures as 2,289 for secondary and 2,784 for primary of which 52% at secondary and 40% at primary level were females.

Currently the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has been working on a new curriculum whose zero draft has been now a centre of discussion. Besides the discussions on the new curriculum there are also various issues that have been discussed within the Education sector which include the construction of over 2,500 new schools in newly resettled areas so as to increase access to education for all children, training and deployment of qualified early childhood development teachers to schools that have established the required early childhood development classes and increasing awareness and knowledge on the importance of inclusive education and ensuring that children with special education needs are catered for at all times. Organisations that work to promote the education of girls have also been advocating for strategies that promote the retention of students in school especially girls. 

Early Childhood Development

Early childhood education was introduced after independence in 1980 through the National Early Childhood Development (NECD) program which was aimed primarily at pre-school children in rural areas who had never had access to these services. A community development approach underpinned the roll out of the ECD centres. With limited focus on minimum criteria, and lack of capacity at community level to make significant contributions, the standard of facilities and activities varied substantially. There now has been a great improvement in the provision of ECD services in the country through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education that has made it a priority for resource provision such as deployment of qualified ECD teachers as well as training programs for teachers and parents through the structures.

In 2004, a national review of the education system recommended that ECD be integrated into education structures rather than running parallel to them. A national survey conducted in 2007 indicated that 95 per cent of primary schools had ECD facilities, but among 5,059 preschools surveyed, 61 per cent did not have buildings. MoESAC now estimate that most primary schools (97%) do have some kind of ECD provisions but facilities and resources, especially teachers and associated costs remains a major challenge. By 2015 Zimbabwe seeks to offer two years of ECD education in all primary schools and increase enrolment so that 90% of 5 year old children attend, currently only 48% of 5 year olds do. Concern has been raised over (i) the acute shortage of qualified ECD teachers (a play centred methodology is used which differs from the standard primary school pedagogic approach) and (ii) parental costs, given the high prevailing poverty rates and absence of free or low cost services.

Most schools have no classrooms for the ECD children. The number of children in each class was too large failing to meet the recommended teacher-pupils ratio of 1:20. In most provinces it was found that there was a critical shorted of trained teachers with ECD qualifications. Overall, the ECD A and B classes are being manned by untrained staff (para-professionals) a practice which militates against attainment of quality education. Most primary schools visited lacked age appropriate toilets, WASH facilities and furniture for the 3-5 year old children, play equipment for outdoor area, toys and indoor learning materials. On health and nutrition the analysis revealed that many ECD centres in primary schools did not give children food at school and in some cases the children had no food. Some of the children were infested with soil transmitted helminthiasis [STH) and schistosomiasis (SCH) worm-parasites which affect the growth and development of children.

Conclusion

More still needs to be done to revive the education sector in the country. Financial resources need to be strategically deployed to ensure that students in the country have access to great educational opportunities. At Nhaka Foundation we advocate for equal learning opportunities for all children. We strive to ensure that children have access to education facilities, great teaching as well as quality, holistic programming that supports the total development of a child.

Patrick Makokoro

Cooling off at school this summer!

Hello Friends,

Summer is here and so comes the heat! Nhaka Foundation is proud to be in partnership with Ruffs Kitchens which supports the daily feeding program in some of the schools we operate in seeing about 5 174 children being fed every single day! As summer beckons the children will be receiving 500ml of the nutritious traditional drink called maheu. Served as a cold and refreshing beverage this drink surely does refresh the children.

We have been working hard the past couple of months on various fronts. The team has been implementing various interventions through the early childhood program such as classroom renovations, health screenings to help with early identification of disease, parenting meetings to promote great parenting practices amongst parents and caregivers as well as working with schools to establish outdoor playground centres for the early childhood development classes.

I have also been out and about on the regional and international front, working with various partners to promote access to early childhood development for children living in difficult circumstance across Africa and around the world. This work has certainly broadened my view especially of the work we are currently implementing in Zimbabwe and also opened up different lessons that I have brought home for adaptation and implementation in the communities we work in. 

Follow some of the regional work we have been involved  here  as well as read about us in articles that we have contributed to such as in the ACEI Childhood Explorer Summer 2015 issue by clicking  here . As a learning organization we are happy to be part of various initiatives that will ensure that children will enjoy a brighter future that opens up a whole lot of possibilities for their lives.

Until next time,

Patrick

Fresh Fruit Water

With Summer around the corner, I was feeling like experimenting with flavored waters.  I used my giant drink dispenser so that I could leave it out all day long as an incentive for my kids to remember to drink up.  It worked!

When I was in Flordia on a trip with my husband, they had the most amazing displays of water dispensers with all kinds of patterns of fresh fruit pushed around the edges.  Here is what you will need to make the fruit look as pretty as it tastes!

1.  slice up fruit.  I like watermelon, cucumbers, limes, oranges or strawberries.  

2.  Add some ice and then add 1 row of fruit.  Use the ice to hold your fruit to the edge.  

3.  Then add some more ice and another layer of fruit.  Repeat till you are close to the top.

4. Fill with water.  

What are some of your favorite combos of fruit infused water?