Posted by Ginge on 9th April 2008
At BaanGerda we are aware that the role on nutrition is just one of many important factors influencing the development of our children. Visitors to the village may have noticed that some of the children seem very small in comparison to other children of the same age. The HIV virus not only attacks the body’s immune system but can also affect the physical and mental development of a child.
It is believed that a healthy HIV infected child requires approximately 10% more food intake than a non-infected child. A child with clinical symptoms of HIV (opportunistic infections / HIV wasting etc.) however requires up to 50% more food. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children get sufficient nutrition to ensure they develop like normal children. We find this now takes up a larger proportion of our monthly budget .
We are delighted that a team of nutritionists from the Thai Red Cross HIV Research Centre and Mahidol University in Bangkok have decided to undertake a study of the role of nutrition in HIV children at BaanGerda. After two preliminary visits to assess the height, weight and food intake of the children, the team are now working on various approaches to ensure that the nutritional needs of our kids are being fulfilled.
BaanGerda is an ideal location for such a study because we have records about the physical development of our children going back several years as well as clinical data for each child. The team will be working with our cooks to adapt menus for healthy high-calorie foods; our parents to encourage their involvement in their children’s eating habits; and our kids to teach them the importance of eating healthy food.
We will be making regular reports on the progress of the study, but for now our children seem very happy to know that one of the team’s recommendations is to eat plenty of ice cream and milkshakes!
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